Amnesty International has issued an appeal to the Mexican Senate, emphasizing the urgent need to renew the Citizen Council of the National Search System. The Council has been inactive since May 2024, raising concerns about its role in aiding families searching for missing persons throughout the country. You can find the full report here.
The Citizen Council is designed as a participatory body, enabling families of victims to engage actively with policies and actions in the search for missing individuals in Mexico. As dictated by Article 60 of the General Law on Forced Disappearance of Persons, the council should include a mix of family members, human rights experts, and civil society representatives. However, its current inactivity hampers these families’ ability to contribute to government plans addressing the disappearance crisis in the nation.
The call for renewing the council comes amid a troubling increase in disappearances. Between March 5 and 11, 2025, volunteers uncovered mass graves, illuminating fears regarding disappearances associated with criminal activities such as kidnapping, recruitment by trafficking groups, and femicide. In response to this crisis, President Claudia Sheinbaum has outlined several measures, including creating a National Base of Investigation Files and enhancing the National Search Commission. Amnesty International’s appeal aligns with prior statements from former members of the National Citizen Council, who have also urged the Senate to expedite the appointment process for council members. More details on this appeal can be found here.
According to the National Registry of Disappeared and Missing Persons, over 126,000 individuals have been reported as disappeared or missing between December 1952 and March 2025. The dire situation led UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet in 2022 to call for reforms, as highlighted in a previous statement.