Mexican lawyer Santiago Corcuera, former president of the Committee against Forced Disappearances of the United Nations (UN), stated that the disappearances currently occurring in Mexico are, in fact, forced disappearances. Although they are not identical to those that occurred during the Dirty War, Corcuera labeled them as such and criticized the governments of PAN and PRI for denying this reality since 2010.
In an interview on the program EntreDichos of El Financiero Bloomberg, Corcuera explained that the problem has been minimized by claiming that there have been no forced disappearances by the State, ignoring those perpetrated by non-state agents with the acquiescence of state agents. He highlighted the need to consider the State's responsibility in detecting and preventing these crimes.
Corcuera called the statements of Mexican authorities discrediting the UN Committee "shameful" and criticized the concept of "state policies" used incorrectly. He clarified that the Committee has not mentioned this term, but has pointed out the existence of widespread forced disappearances in Mexico, not as a deliberate policy of the State against the civilian population.
The expert warned that if the UN Committee determines that information has been concealed from them or that disappearances continue in a systematic manner, the case could be elevated to the UN General Assembly, which would be an unprecedented event in history.
