Reelection of head of Mexico's human rights commission draws outrage

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) – Mexico’s Senate reelected the head of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) Wednesday, drawing a backlash from human rights groups over her failure to call out the government for abuses and her poor management.

Largely criticized by human rights groups in Mexico, Rosario Piedra Ibarra was given the mandate for a second term after a Senate controlled by the ruling Morena party voted in favor of her reappointment.

Organizations such as the Miguel Agustín Pro Juarez Human Rights Center (Centro Prodh) denounced the reelection as detrimental to human rights in Mexico, especially for the victims of rights violations who Piedra Ibarra's administration has largely overlooked.

"The designation sends a message of profound disdain and imposition by the ruling party, as it contradicts the defense of victims of human rights violations and the position of hundreds of civil society organizations, which have pointed out her biased performance in favor of the government. It also makes clear the intention to continue covering up serious human rights violations, such as those committed by the armed forces," said Centro Prodh's statement.

Article 19, a human rights watchdog that monitors attacks on freedom of expression in Mexico and Central America, also criticized Piedra Ibarra’s reelection, calling it a "disheartening message for the victims in the country and the human rights crisis in Mexico."

Since she was first appointed as head of the CNDH in 2019 under the administration of then-president and founder of the Morena party, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Piedra Ibarra's management of the top human rights body was characterized by its closeness to the government.

After Lopez Obrador militarized public security through the massive deployment of troops, especially through the creation in 2019 of the National Guard by absorbing units and officers from the Federal Police, Military Police and Naval Police, human rights abuses by the armed forces increased.

Human rights organizations said that Piedra Ibarra's administration overlooked human rights violations committed during Lopez Obrador's term, especially by the military, with the National Guard receiving 1,600 complaints of human rights abuses and Piedra Ibarra's Human Rights Commission only reporting 22 instances of such crimes.

During Piedra Ibarra's first term, the CNDH issued 164 recommendations regarding human rights violations committed by the government, although 110 of the reports were perpetrated by previous administrations.

By October 2023, Piedra Ibarra's presidency was severely criticized when all six members of the Human Rights Commission's internal organ of control resigned, accusing her of corruption and sabotaging their work through a letter announcing their resignation.

"Systematically, she has hindered our work, going so far as to completely ignore, threaten and defame us," said the letter.

The Morena party controls both chambers of the Mexican Congress, giving Piedra Ibarra the two-thirds necessary to secure her reelection for five more years.

"Mexico is going through a deep human rights crisis, and this reelection leaves unanswered the demands of those who call for an institution that confronts abuses of power," said Centro Prodh.