Daughters of Mr. Rosendo Radilla Pacheco and Juan Carlos Gutiérrez Contreras, General Director of the CMDPDH © PBI Mexico

Mexico City, 16 November 2011

Mexico misses an historic opportunity to heal the wounds of the dirty war

The Federal Government will perform the act of acknowledgment of responsibility of the enforced disappearance of Mr. Rosendo Radilla in Atoyac de Álvarez, state of Guerrero, without previous consent and in the absence of the victims.

PRESS RELEASE

Today, the Ministry of Interior informed Tita Radilla, daughter of Mr. Radilla, the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH) and the Association of Relatives of Detained - Disappeared and Victims of Human Rights Violations (AFADEM), the public act of acknowledgement of responsibility for the enforced disappearance of Mr. Rosendo Radilla Pacheco will take place on November 17th, at 11.00 hours, in Atoyac de Álvarez, state of Guerrero, with the presence of high-level authorities, as part of the compliance with the judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).

Due to the short-notice the family was informed and the unilateral way the government took the decision of performing this public act, we regret the family won't be able to attend. In this way, Tita Radilla said "the State is missing an opportunity to acknowledge the victims of the 'dirty war' and reconstruct the social fabric in the state of Guerrero, where the State committed crimes against humanity that particularly affected the municipality of Atoyac, in which 630 cases of enforced disappearance occurred."

Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, General Director of the CMDPDH considered "these events have a fundamental character to dignify the victims and their families and must be a way of reparation, which in this case is nullified as the victims will not attend. To impose this act re-victimizes the families who for more than 37 years have been waiting for this acknowledgement from the State. Given the current situation that victims of human rights violations are suffering throughout the country, it is regrettable the Government took such decision without taking into consideration its effects on impeding the mourning and reconciliation process and does not contribute to a peaceful atmosphere that Mexico requires at the present moment.

Although the Ministry of Interior had previously agreed to meet with the family in order to determine a new date for the public act and the conditions for it, the act will either way take place tomorrow.

It is important to note that jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights is clear on the relevance these kinds of acts of acknowledgment have, stating that "it is important that victims feel that justice has been achieved. Acts of acknowledgment and forgiveness must be conducted in presence of the victims, with high-level authorities and a widespread coverage."

Familia Radilla Martínez

Asociación de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos y Víctimas de Violaciones a los Derechos Humanos en México, A.C. (AFADEM)

Julio Mata Montiel

Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos, A.C. (CMDPDH)