To strengthen mechanisms for searching for, locating, and identifying missing persons with a technological, inter-institutional, and human rights approach, the Senate Plenary approved, in general and specific terms, reforms to the General Law on Forced Disappearances of Persons, Disappearances Committed by Private Individuals, and the National Search System for Persons, and the General Population Law.
At the opposition’s request, the vote on the rulings was split. National Action and Citizen Movement, along with Morena, the Workers’ Party (PT), and the PVEM, supported the General Law on Forced Disappearances of Persons, Disappearances Committed by Private Individuals, and the National Search System for Persons, while they voted against the General Population Law. The PRI rejected all of them.
The reform presented by President Claudia Sheinbaum to combat the crisis of disappearances in the country proposes the creation of a Single Identity Platform, which will integrate registries such as the missing persons registry, the National Forensic Data Bank, and other administrative archives with databases that allow for real-time searches using the Unique Population Registry Code (CURP).
It establishes that the biometric CURP, which will include fingerprints and a photograph, will become the national identification document and will be monitored in real time to allow continuous and exhaustive searches. It will be used in both physical and digital formats.
In addition, authorities at all three levels of government, as well as individuals who manage biometric databases, are required to provide access to this information to agencies such as the Attorney General’s Office, state prosecutors’ offices, the National Intelligence Center, and law enforcement agencies, to facilitate search efforts.
The president of Legislative Studies, Enrique Inzunza, mentioned that this ruling responds to the commitments the Mexican state has made to international organizations such as the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
He emphasized that one of the central pillars of this reform is precisely to strengthen search mechanisms with a human rights approach, guaranteeing more effective procedures and technological tools that allow progress in locating missing persons.
“There is nothing more heartbreaking than not knowing. Uncertainty is a form of torture, perhaps the worst form of torture, and as a State, we have the obligation to prevent that uncertainty from perpetuating itself. The disappearance of people cannot be normalized; it cannot be viewed as collateral damage or accepted as a cost of social conflicts. It is an open wound that demands truth and justice, and above all, justice,” he emphasized.
PRI Senator Karla Toledo noted that more than 100 organizations have expressed their opposition because this law does not guarantee an effective search, does not grant ministerial powers to the National Commission, does not provide a budget or trained personnel, but rather shifts the burden of institutional control to the citizen.
“The answer is clear: this entire setup is designed to monitor the entire population, to intimidate or silence a person if they so choose. And I say it loud and clear: disappearances are not combated with decentralized databases, but rather with the rule of law, with prompt justice and dignified care. You know very well that Mexico faces a crisis of disappearances,” she stated.
This is how the Senate session went:
The deputy coordinator of Movimiento Ciudadano, Alejandra Barrales, expressed her support for the new law, but warned of the risks posed by the parallel reform to the General Population Law.
He indicated that in a country where insecurity is rife, the lack of mechanisms and tools to ensure that the government safeguards the information of 130 million Mexicans is worrying.
What does the initiative entail?
The reform also mandates forensic services to perform genetic and fingerprint tests on unidentified bodies before they are sent to mass graves. The results must be registered within a maximum of three days in the National Forensic Data Bank.
Likewise, a standardized search form will be implemented, in physical and digital formats, which will be notified to the National Population Registry to activate alert mechanisms through the CURP (National Registry of Persons with Disabilities).
As part of the institutional redesign, the National Search System will incorporate new entities, including the National Guard, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, and representatives of state law enforcement agencies.
A National Database of Investigation Files on enforced disappearances or those committed by private individuals will also be created.
Prosecutors’ offices must consult this database before initiating new investigations to avoid duplication.
Prosecutors’ offices specializing in disappearances will be strengthened with trained personnel, immediate and cyber search units, context analysis, and victim assistance areas.
The Ministry of the Interior will be responsible for integrating biometric data into the CURP (National Registry of Populations), in compliance with the Personal Data Protection Law, and for coordinating a specific program to incorporate children and adolescents into the National Population Registry.
With this reform, the federal government seeks a more effective, coordinated, and human rights-respecting response to one of the country’s most serious problems.
The bill was sent to the Chamber of Deputies for the appropriate legislative purposes.
Source: adninformativo
