Mexico disappearances climb as attacks on rights defenders persist, Amnesty says
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A cross bearing photographs of missing people during a Via Crucis held during Holy Week outside the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences, in San Pedro Tlaquepaque, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, April 3, 2026. REUTERS/Michelle Freyria
By Lizbeth Diaz
MEXICO CITY, April 21 - Attacks on human rights defenders, journalists and activists searching for disappeared persons in Mexico continued in 2025 as disappearances climbed to 133,500 cases, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
KEY CONTEXT
• Disappearances rose 10.5% by December, while murders fell 27.4%, Amnesty's annual report said.
• Mexico remains among countries with the highest torture rates, according to the Global Torture Index presented in 2025.
• Threats, attacks and killings of human rights defenders increased alongside reduced government protection mechanisms, the rights group said.
• Migrants crossing Mexico face extortion, kidnapping and difficulties accessing healthcare, education and employment, Amnesty said.
• A UN committee in early April called for the General Assembly to examine forced disappearances in Mexico as crimes against humanity.
• President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the UN call as politically motivated.
• Edith Olivares, head of Amnesty International in Mexico, told reporters the administration has an "opportunity to change the structures and practices" that allow for systematic rights violations by state agents.
• UN High Commissioner Volker Turk is on a four-day visit to Mexico and is expected to address human rights issues on Wednesday.
• "It is difficult to find the words to describe the exchanges I had today in Mexico with the families of disappeared persons," Turk said on Tuesday. "Their unwavering courage, strength and resilience inspire me deeply; their search for truth and justice must be addressed."
(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz, Editing by Iñigo Alexander)
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