Background on Teresa Guadalupe Reyes Sahagún and the Comisión Nacional de Búsqueda (CNB)
Teresa Guadalupe Reyes Sahagún served as the head of Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Búsqueda (CNB), an organization dedicated to investigating the thousands of forced disappearances in the country. However, following her resignation effective August 31, over 80 collectives of families with missing loved ones have demanded a transparent, inclusive, and legally-grounded process for selecting her successor.
Criticism of Reyes Sahagún’s Tenure
The collectives denounce Reyes Sahagún’s appointment, which they claim was made without consulting the victims or experts. They criticize her leadership as a period of institutional regression, stating that her appointment, made without consulting families, represented a step backward for an institution that had gradually supported their search efforts.
“Her appointment was illegitimate, and her performance damaged the search for our loved ones. Her appointment, made behind the families’ backs, signified a regression in an institution that had slowly begun to support our searches,” the collectives asserted.
Call for a Transparent and Inclusive Selection Process
The families’ groups emphasized that Reyes Sahagún’s resignation, though belated, should serve as a turning point to correct the CNB’s course. They also urged President and the Secretary of the Interior to ensure that the next appointment stems from a genuinely collective, transparent, and law-abiding process.
They consider it necessary to conduct a broad, binding public consultation involving victim collectives and experts across the nation. The groups explicitly stated they would not accept another simulation or profiles that fail to guarantee technical capability and sensitivity required by the crisis of over 130,000 missing persons.
Future CNB Leadership’s Responsibilities
The collectives agreed that the next person appointed to the CNB must commit to an agenda addressing the needs of all affected families. They see this as a crucial opportunity for the government, at all levels but especially federal, to demonstrate genuine interest in addressing families’ needs and resolving the pending issues left unattended by the CNB during Reyes Sahagún’s tenure.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the Comisión Nacional de Búsqueda (CNB)? The CNB is a Mexican organization dedicated to investigating forced disappearances in the country.
- Who was Teresa Guadalupe Reyes Sahagún? She served as the head of CNB until her resignation, which was met with criticism from families’ collectives regarding her appointment process and performance.
- Why are families’ groups demanding a transparent appointment process? They argue that Reyes Sahagún’s appointment was made without consulting victims or experts and that her leadership resulted in institutional regression. They seek a genuinely collective, transparent, and law-abiding process for selecting her successor.
- What do families expect from the next CNB leader? Families’ groups expect the new CNB leader to commit to an agenda addressing their needs and demonstrate genuine interest in resolving pending issues left unattended during Reyes Sahagún’s tenure.
