After more than a year without members, Mexico’s Senate has begun the process to renew the National Citizen Council of the National Search System, a crucial body ensuring victims’ families have a voice in decisions on enforced disappearances.
Selection process underway
On July 1, 2025, the Mexican Senate approved the process to choose members of the National Citizen Council of the National Search System. From July 30 to August 1, candidates appeared before the Senate to fill all the positions set out in the General Law on the Forced Disappearance of Persons. By August 15 at the latest, Senate commissions in charge of the selection process will publish a list of suitable candidates.
The Citizen Council plays a key role in advising on the search for disappeared people, monitoring government performance, and reporting irregularities. According to the law, it includes five relatives of victims, four human rights experts, and four representatives from human rights organisations.
A long-overdue step
The Council has been vacant since May 2024, despite repeated calls from civil society to restore it. This vacancy has left families without a formal channel to influence policies and decisions that directly affect their search for truth and justice.
Public pressure was essential in pushing the Senate to act. The campaign to demand the Council’s renewal increased transparency and accountability. We will continue to monitor the process and will alert you if more action is needed to ensure victims’ families are fully represented.
No further action is requested. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.
