Mexican human rights commission advocates for structural reform to strengthen its autonomy

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has proposed an initiative to transform itself into the National Ombudsman’s Office for the Rights of the People, a Constitutional reform that would increase its powers and assert its autonomy from the Senate. The CNDH argued in public statements that the agency has been plagued by high spending and poor results since its creation in 1990. [...] [In its statement, the CNDH said, "Piedra Ibarra] presented a bill to the Chamber of Deputies and senators to elevate the CNDH to the rank of ombudsman, not only to serve the poor, as has been wrongly suggested, but… to reaffirm its autonomy and enhance the scope of its mission.” Piedra Ibarra first announced the initiative on Jan. 25, during the presentation to Congress of the CNDH’s annual report for 2022, but she did not make the full text public. [...] [Some key reforms include letting the people elect the CNDH president and advisory council, introducing term limits, empowering the CNDH with unilateral enforcement abilities, and prioritizing victims.] However, the proposal has been criticized by some observers who argue that the commission has become politicized and is overstepping its mandate to promote the agenda of President López Obrador. [Human rights NGO] Centro Prodh also pointed out that the CNDH lacks the legal power to present initiatives and would have to gain the support of legislators to advance the proposal.
Read the full article here: Mexico News Daily