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IACHR
Press Release
IACHR Agrees on Terms of Agreement on Technical Assistance to Mexico
November 12, 2014
Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has agreed on the terms of a tripartite agreement to be signed with the State of Mexico and with the non-governmental organizations that represent the students victims of forced disappearance in Iguala and their families. The Commission will now follow the internal procedures of the Organization of American States (OAS) in order to finalise and sign the agreement. The Rapporteur on Mexico of the IACHR, Commissioner James Cavallaro, was present today in Mexico City to ratify the terms of the agreement arrived at by the three parties.
The State of Mexico and the representatives of the students victims of forced disappearance and their families approached the Commission in October requesting technical assistance for the search, the investigation, and the support to the families. The Commission has agreed to oversee the creation of an Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts in order to provide technical assistance and follow-up to the actions initiated by the State of Mexico after the disappearance of the students. Any technical support from the Commission will include measures to address the structural problems that underlie forced disappearances in Mexico, which are not limited to the case of the students from Iguala.
A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
No. 133/14