The Mexican Government Reaffirms Its Commitment to Peaceful Protest and Support for Families of the Disappeared

Regarding the statement issued by Special Procedures experts of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the demonstrations held during the FIFA World Cup 2026, the Mexican government reiterates its full commitment to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, civic participation, and human rights, and remains ready to work with international human rights bodies.

Searching for missing persons, providing comprehensive support to victims, and guaranteeing the right to peaceful protest are top priorities for the Mexican government, which recognizes the demands of families and search collectives and the significance of their work in shedding light on this issue and strengthening search, truth, justice, and reparation efforts.

The Interior Ministry (SEGOB), together with the National Search Commission and the Executive Commission for Victim Assistance, has permanent channels of support and accompaniment for the families and collectives involved, consistently prioritizing dialogue and respect for their human rights.

At the rallies, marches, symbolic actions, roll calls, and public statements held at various sites in Mexico City, staff from the Interior Ministry's Human Rights Defense Unit, the National Search Commission, and the Executive Commission for Victim Assistance provided support to participants and followed up on their concerns through subsequent meetings.

Security measures near World Cup venues followed standard protocols for large-scale international events and were meant solely to protect attendees, demonstrators, participants, and the public. These measures were compatible with the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and at no point aimed to restrict or discourage demonstrations by families and search collectives.

The Mexican government rejects any form of criminalization of social protest, recognizes the value of the work carried out by families of missing persons and search collectives in advancing the right to truth and justice and in locating their loved ones, and reaffirms its commitment to victims, their families, and search collectives.