In a hearing regarding The Diagnostic and Program for Human Rights on March 20, 2009, the Mexican government’s work in analyzing the overall human rights condition Mexico City. Rather than involving a petitioner with a specific claim, this hearing was part of a series of hearings. The purpose of which is to keep the Commission informed on the status of a human rights diagnostic run in Mexico City and the implementation of a project addressing human rights violations based from that diagnostic.
In a hearing regarding The Diagnostic and Program for Human Rights on March 20, 2009, the Mexican government’s work in analyzing the overall human rights condition Mexico City. Rather than involving a petitioner with a specific claim, this hearing was part of a series of hearings. The purpose of which is to keep the Commission informed on the status of a human rights diagnostic run in Mexico City and the implementation of a project addressing human rights violations based from that diagnostic.
The diagnostic project is being performed by the cooperative efforts of Luis Ebrard Casaubon, the president of the Public Services Department of the government of Mexico, Edgar Elías Azar president of the judiciary of Mexico City, members of the legislative branch the Mexican government, Emilio Álvarez Icaza Longoria, the president of the Commission of Human Rights of the Federal District of Mexico (CDHDF), various nonprofit organizations and two representatives from two universities. An Officer of the High Commissioner for Human Rights from the UN overlooks the project, but he was not present at the hearing.
Longoria began the panel by introducing everyone, describing Mexico City as one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. He explained that the work to diagnose and implement a plan began from a recommendation of a U.N. Summit in 1993. He pointed out that the diagnostic has become an important reference for the CDHDF in identifying the various complex human rights problems and in establishing a common starting point for a public agenda. Longoria also mentioned that implementation of the project allows for the incorporation of the Inter-American’s international standards into Mexico’s human rights law.
Casaubon explained that the project’s budget must coincide with the issues identified by the diagnostic as needing improvement. Azar reflected on the importance of human rights and the relationship between the state and civil society. He also listed laws that have been initiated to protect human rights that, such as laws that ensure everyone is heard in their native language in court, make divorce easier in order to stem domestic violence, and that establish alternative centers of justice around the city.
One of the desired impacts of the diagnostic is to establish a framework that can be used to analyze the condition of human rights, not only in Mexico City, but throughout the nation as a whole. In addition, Longoria mentioned how he hopes that implementing the program will create transparent participation where decisions are made through a consensus. Almost all the speakers mentioned their satisfaction with the cooperation and openness between the various groups and bodies of government in creating the diagnostic.
One of the representative of the legislative branch pointed out that the diagnostic has brought attention to the legal gaps preventing people from exercising their human rights and the lack of venues to inform the public of their rights. The IACHR Commissioner, Florentín Meléndez, followed by pointing out that the presentation did not mention the ways in which the public will learn about their human rights. He then asked Casaubon why prisoners were left out of the diagnostic and emphasized that, if ignored, the prison population can increase the insecurity in the country. The Commissioner made a reference to his visit to a prison in Mexico City and described how, with approximately 10,500 prisoners, including young children and elderly, many did not have running water at the time.
Casaubon responded by stating that, although the diagnostic did not address the prisoner’s rights individually, the core of the diagnostic did. Longoria, also responding, thanked the Commissioner for his comments and suggestions and committed himself to exploring human right education and to addressing prison conditions. Longoria ended the presentation by playing two short videos which displayed the public’s viewpoint on prevalent human rights issues in Mexico City and described the diagnostic project.
When interviewed, the representative of the Panamerican University, Luis Peraza Parga, mentioned that the hearing was just the first step in alleviating and eradicating the human rights violations occurring in Mexico City and that the project established by the diagnostic will be implemented in June of this year.
