Reactivation of the National Center for Human Identification

In our continued commitment to justice and the defense of human rights, at Olmedo y Torres Abogados we provide key updates on important cases in which we are involved. February 14, 2024 marked a significant milestone in our work, as we have managed to take a step forward in the fight against enforced disappearance, an issue that deeply affects our society and the principles of both domestic and international law.

Below we present the full text

Reference: Reactivation of the National Human Identification Center - Urgent Action 1733/2024

On February 10, 2024, the United Nations Committee Against Enforced Disappearances was petitioned to decree an Urgent Action regarding the enforced disappearance of a victim whose identity will remain in reserve due to security concerns.

The request was based on the failure of the ministerial authorities to adopt effective, timely measures in accordance with relevant international obligations of the State aimed at locating the victim. It also highlighted the worrying situation of the ineffectiveness of the National Human Identification Center, which is part of the National Search System. This ineffectiveness stems from the lack of qualified technical personnel, appropriate budgetary allocation, and facilities, among others, which hinders at critical levels the identification and cross-examination of genetic material between the relatives of the victim and the remains located at mass graves found throughout the country.

On February 14, 2024, the Committee agreed to award the Urgent Action and established the effects so that, among other actions, the State designs and implements a scheduled, comprehensive and immediate search strategy and that such actions are guaranteed the necessary means and procedures to locate the victim, “including ensuring that the National Center for Human Identification has the necessary means to preserve and analyze human remains and genetic samples.”

At Olmedo y Torres, Abogados, S.C., we seek, through the strategic use of international mechanisms, to generate actionable conditions for the reactivation of the National Center for Human Identification that will benefit hundreds of thousands of families and searchers by providing the technical-scientific tools and procedures necessary for the identification and location of the victims of the crime of enforced disappearance.