National Human Rights Commission (Mexico)
Encyclopedia
Mexico
's National Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution (NHRI) accredited at the United Nations
with 'A' status by the International Co-ordinating Committee of NHRIs
(the ICC). It is a member of the Network of National Institutions in the Americas
, one of four regional groups within the ICC. The Commission is a public institution that enjoys judicial, organizational and functional autonomy from the federal government. Since November 2009 the President of the CNDH has been Raúl Plascencia Villanueva, who succeeded José Luis Soberanes
.
It was not until 1999, after some constitutional reforms, that the National Human Rights Commission became fully independent of the government.
The maps, which are still available digitally for download, plot out the placement of rescue beacons and water stations along popular migrant paths. They also map out the high number of recorded deaths to visually show how the waters stations help mitigate the loss of life. Along with the maps, the organization also created migrant warning posters titled "Don't Do It! It's Hard! There's Not Enough Water!", which are widely distributed along the Mexican side of the border. These posters, aimed at prospective migrants, highlight in stark terms the dangers of illegal crossings on foot through the desert, despite what smugglers might tell them. The posters give the estimated walking times from entry points and also mark the sites of water stations and recorded deaths.
. Since 1999 the President of the CNDH is appointed by the Senate
.
The CNDH has been presided by:
As of 2006 members of the council were:
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's National Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution (NHRI) accredited at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
with 'A' status by the International Co-ordinating Committee of NHRIs
International Co-ordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions
The International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions, sometimes shortened to the International Coordinating Committee , is a global network of national human rights institutions - administrative bodies set up to promote, protect and monitor human rights in a given country...
(the ICC). It is a member of the Network of National Institutions in the Americas
Network of National Institutions in the Americas
The Network of National Institutions in the Americas is one of four regional groups of national human rights institutions within the global network, the International Co-ordinating Committee of NHRIs...
, one of four regional groups within the ICC. The Commission is a public institution that enjoys judicial, organizational and functional autonomy from the federal government. Since November 2009 the President of the CNDH has been Raúl Plascencia Villanueva, who succeeded José Luis Soberanes
José Luis Soberanes
José Luis Soberanes Fernández is a prominent Mexican lawyer. He was president of the National Human Rights Commission of Mexico from November 16, 1999 to November 15, 2009....
.
History
On February 13, 1989 the Interior Ministry (Secretaría de Gobernación) created the "General Human Rights Department" as a wholly dependent office within the ministry's structure. On June 6, 1990, by presidential decision, the General Human Rights Department" was renamed the "National Human Rights Commission" and gained full autonomy from its parent ministry.It was not until 1999, after some constitutional reforms, that the National Human Rights Commission became fully independent of the government.
Controversy
In January 2006 the CNDH, in collaboration with the US-based Humane Borders, planned to distribute 70,000 border maps to aid immigrants attempting to cross the US–Mexico border illegally. This action was cause for serious concern in the US government, especially in the department of Homeland Security. The CNDH eventually, in response to allegations that such maps would also lead anti-illegal immigration groups such as the minutemen to common border crossings, dropped the program. While Humane Borders and the CNDH were attempting to distribute the maps in an effort to prevent the hundreds of injuries and deaths that occur along the border every year, many groups within the United States objected to this as an attempt to encourage undocumented immigration. Human rights and humanitarian aid groups claimed that the maps were not meant to encourage new immigration but were instead meant to ensure the safety of those individuals that would normally cross the border without a map.The maps, which are still available digitally for download, plot out the placement of rescue beacons and water stations along popular migrant paths. They also map out the high number of recorded deaths to visually show how the waters stations help mitigate the loss of life. Along with the maps, the organization also created migrant warning posters titled "Don't Do It! It's Hard! There's Not Enough Water!", which are widely distributed along the Mexican side of the border. These posters, aimed at prospective migrants, highlight in stark terms the dangers of illegal crossings on foot through the desert, despite what smugglers might tell them. The posters give the estimated walking times from entry points and also mark the sites of water stations and recorded deaths.
Presidents of the CNDH
Presidents of the CNDH were originally designated by the President of the RepublicPresident of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
. Since 1999 the President of the CNDH is appointed by the Senate
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
.
The CNDH has been presided by:
| Name | Took office | Left office |
| Jorge Carpizo MacGregor | June 6, 1990 | January 4, 1993 |
| Jorge Madrazo Cuéllar | January 5, 1993 | May 1994 |
| Carlos Rodríguez (interim) | June 1994 | December 1994 |
| Jorge Madrazo Cuéllar | January 1995 | November 26, 1996 |
| José Luis Ramos Rivera (interim) | November 27, 1996 | January 7, 1997 |
| Mireille Roccatti Velásquez | January 8, 1997 | November 13, 1999 |
| José Luis Soberanes Fernández José Luis Soberanes José Luis Soberanes Fernández is a prominent Mexican lawyer. He was president of the National Human Rights Commission of Mexico from November 16, 1999 to November 15, 2009.... |
November 16, 1999 | November 16, 2009 |
| Raúl Plascencia Villanueva | November 16, 2009 | present |
CNDH Consultant Council
The CNDH has a ten-member council, the members of which are appointed by the Senate. The Council is responsible for establishing the CNDH's general guidelines, approving the commission's internal rules and overseeing the its budget. The President of the CNDH serves as the head of the Council.As of 2006 members of the council were:
- Héctor Fix-ZamudioHéctor Fix-ZamudioHéctor Fix-Zamudio is a Mexican jurist.-Professional career:Fix-Zamudio studied law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico , earning his bachelor's degree in 1956 and his doctorate in 1972...
- Sergio García RamírezSergio García RamírezSergio García Ramírez is a Mexican jurist and politician who currently serves as a judge at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights....
- Joaquín López-DórigaJoaquín López-DórigaJoaquín López-Dóriga Velandia is a Spanish Mexican journalist.At the age of 18 he started working as a journalist for the daily El Heraldo de México and two years later he joined Jacobo Zabludovsky in the television news program 24 Horas.In 1988 he was appointed news director of the Instituto...
- Paulette Dieterlen Struck
- Loretta Ortiz Ahlf
- Ricardo Pozas Horcasitas
- Juliana González ValenzuelaJuliana Gonzalez ValenzuelaJuliana González Valenzuela is a Mexican Philosopher.- Academic Biography :Juliana Gonzalez is a Mexican philosopher who has worked primarily in the areas of Greek Philosophy, Ontology, Ethics and Bioethics. She was born in Mexico City in 1936...
- Graciela Rodríguez Ortega
- María Patricia Kurczyn Villalobos
- Fernando Serrano Migallón
See also
- Inter-American Commission on Human RightsInter-American Commission on Human RightsThe Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...
. - Inter-American Court of Human RightsInter-American Court of Human RightsThe Inter-American Court of Human Rights is an autonomous judicial institution based in the city of San José, Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it makes up the human rights protection system of the Organization of American States , which serves to uphold and...
.