President Claudia Sheinbaum announced yesterday at the National Palace the most painful agenda of Mexico, demanding her government deliver decisive results for the victims of forced disappearances. The actions presented break a inertia of continuity without change in forced disappearance and constitute a timely correction in institutional policy.
Among the measures presented, a catalog of actions stands out that will seek to become norms and laws to initiate the search for truth and justice for the tens of thousands of missing Mexican men and women. This announcement comes at a crucial moment, especially after the discovery of the extermination ranch in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, which has reactivated the fight against forced disappearance in the country.
President Sheinbaum is committed to not confronting the searchers, establishing continuous and effective dialogue with the groups of searching mothers, who are a fundamental part of this path towards justice. It is imperative that the actions announced on Monday are quickly supported by concrete measures that erase the complacency of the past and demonstrate a real commitment without pretense.
The challenge of coordination in the Republic is monumental, and the commitment made at the National Palace requires mobilizing prosecutors, local police, and governors to overcome the resistance of a system that has historically favored impunity over justice. Establishing an effective communication mechanism with the searchers will be key to preventing local authorities' resistances from hindering progress in investigations.
Sheinbaum has the capacity to create an effective collaborative mechanism, and inter-institutional coordination with different levels of government will be fundamental in this process. The measures announced yesterday are aimed in the right direction and represent an important step towards change.
