Enrique Peña Nieto signed into effect Law on Forced Disappearance

Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto

signed into effect the General Law on Forced Disappearance of Persons, Disappearance Committed by Individuals .

At the Official Residence of Los Pinos, Enrique Peña Nieto met with relatives of missing persons and representatives of organizations and groups.

The law came into effect after years of work and the commitment of the relatives of victims and civil society groups. It establishes that forced disappearance or enforced disappearance (when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate and whereabouts, with the intent of placing the victim outside the protection of the law) will be prosecuted ex-officio and permanently until the whereabouts of the disappeared person are determined.

Moreover, the new legislation establishes the creation of the National Missing Persons’ Search System , which will be responsible for determining, executing and following up on actions to search for missing people, the National Search Commission , and a National Citizens’ Council , which will serve as a participatory, advisory board comprising the relatives of victims and civil society organizations.

Peña Nieto acknowledged that the disappearance of a person is one of the most painful experiences anyone can suffer. “These events cause suffering in victims and their families, harm our society, and the state has the obligation to intervene in them to provide justice,” he said in a statement.

The passage of this law, he added, provides tools to combat impunity and defend the rights of victims and their families.

The event saw the participation of Jan Jařab , Representative in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights , who acknowledged the efforts of the Mexican government and its willingness to pass the Law, declaring that, “This is a great day for Human Rights in Mexico”.

The families raised the need for the prompt creation and consolidation of the agencies established in the legislation, as well as to ensure that their participation in the implementation of the Law is recognized and maintained, and a comprehensive reform of Article 102 of the Constitution.

The Undersecretary for Human Rights in the Ministry of Interior, Roberto Campa, indicated that MXN$ 470 million will be allocated for the implementation of the new legislation.

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