VZCZCXRO3258
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #3172/01 3131405
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091405Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8918
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1164
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0367
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHME/USMLO MEXICO CITY MX
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHME/USDAO MEXICO CITY MX

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MEXICO 003172 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA DAS JACOBSON, OFFICE DIRECTOR LEE, D 
STAFF CUE, AND INL HOHMAN. NSC FOR O'REILLY. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR UN MX
SUBJECT: MEXICAN SENATE CHOOSES FRONT-RUNNER TO HEAD HUMAN 
RIGHTS COMMISSION 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The Mexican Senate's confirmation, on 
November 5, of Raul Plasencia Villanueva as the new President 
of Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) is a 
welcome leadership change that could herald a more activist 
and transparent era for an important state-sponsored advocate 
for human rights. While the CNDH has made valuable 
contributions since 1990, providing detailed and 
authoritative information on specific human rights cases and 
usefully documenting systematic obstacles to progress, it has 
suffered under the direction of Jose Luis Soberanes, 
President of the Commission since it became autonomous in 
¶1999.  Soberanes, dogged by rumors of personal corruption and 
criticized for not addressing aggressively charges against 
the military, ends his term on November 15. We know Plasencia 
as a knowledgeable and careful defender of human rights, 
perhaps the best choice of the many who were vying for the 
post.  End Summary. 
 
Senate Chooses from a Crowded Slate... 
 
¶2. (U) The Mexican Senate brought a contentious and somewhat 
controversial selection process to a close on November 5, 
with its choice of Raul Plasencia Villanueva to be the next 
President of the CNDH.  The Senate's decision, late in 
October, to delay action and extend the confirmation 
deadline, had already elicited some expression of concern 
from the NGO community.  The Senate's committees on Human 
Rights, Justice and Legislative Studies had released a list 
of eligible candidates, eliminating 13 out of 39 candidates 
in early October.  NGOs then had two days to express their 
views regarding the process and eligible candidates, 
including an open forum discussion on October 15.  The 
candidates were asked to appear before the Senate to explain 
why they wanted to become CNDH's new president and review 
their proposals for the CNDH's future work.  In the final 
vote on November 5, Plasencia came out on top with 78 votes, 
well ahead of the other two finalists: Emilio Alvarez Icaza 
(32 votes) and Luis Raul Gonzalez (2 votes). Plasencia will 
be sworn in on November 10 in an inauguration ceremony before 
the Mexican Senate and will take office on November 17. 
 
 
To Head Mexico's official Human Rights Watchdog 
 
¶3. (U) CNDH was created in response to demands and pressure 
on Mexico's government to investigate crimes of the "dirty 
war" during the 1970s, with a mandate to investigate, report 
and recommend measures to address human rights concerns. 
Despite several attempts at creating a state level organ, it 
was not until 1989 that Mexico's Secretariat of Government 
(SEGOB) created a General Human Rights Directorate as a 
subordinate  office tasked with looking into allegations of 
human rights abuses.  In 1990, under presidential decree, the 
Directorate was renamed the National Human Rights Commission 
(CNDH).  CNDH remained a part of the SEGOB until 1999 when 
the Mexican Congress adopted a constitutional reform 
declaring it autonomous and freeing it from executive 
oversight.  CNDH continues, however, to rely entirely on the 
Congress for its funding, which has been generous -- USD 72 
million last year to perform its daily duties. 
 
¶4. (U) CNDH is comprised of five major offices: the 
Presidency, the Consultant Council, its Technical 
Secretariat, the Executive Secretariat, and the General 
Visitorships.  Of these offices, the two most important are 
the Consultant Council, which consists of ten academics 
appointed by the Senate to establish CNDH's guidelines, 
approve internal rules and oversee the budget (the CNDH 
president serves as the head of the Council), and the General 
Visitorships, of which there are five undersecretaries or 
"Visitors", who are responsible for investigating allegations 
of human rights abuses.  Each Visitorship is assigned to 
investigate specific complaints, such as the dirty war, 
gender violence, trafficking in persons, migration, prison 
conditions, and indigenous affairs. 
 
 
Front Runner Wins... 
 
 
MEXICO 00003172  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) As the CNDH's current First Visitor -- the second 
highest position within the CNDH -- Plascencia has ten years 
of experience in the human rights arena.  He has taught on 
human rights related topics at various universities across 
the country for more than 20 years, and is currently a 
professor at the prestigious National Autonomous University 
of Mexico (UNAM). Plasencia holds a Bachelor's, Master's, and 
Ph.D. degree in law.  He is viewed as calm, prudent and 
knowledgeable, but has been criticized for being too close to 
current President Soberanes. Plascencia was clearly the front 
runner, with the most influential contacts and the support of 
29 of 31 State Human Rights Commissions. He was also the 
favorite of Isabel Miranda Wallace, influential and 
well-known for her proactive role in solving the case of her 
kidnapped son. In the end, Plascencia's work in CNDH over the 
last ten years and his bi-partisan support among PAN and PRI 
legislators likely helped carry the day. To charges that his 
Presidency would represent an extension of Soberanes, 
leadership. Plasencia has countered with a commitment to seek 
strengthened relations with NGOs, as well as a restructuring 
and consolidation of CNDH activities. 
 
 
Others Fall Short 
 
¶7. (SBU) In Mexico it is not just the winners that tell the 
story.  The other two finalists that fell short of the needed 
votes included: 
 
-- Emilio Alvarez Icaza: One of the three finalists, Icaza 
finished a respectable second. Former President of the Human 
Rights Commission of Mexico City, Alvarez worked for CENCOS, 
an NGO dedicated to the protection of journalists. He holds a 
Bachelor's degree in psychology and a Master's in the social 
sciences.  He was criticized severely by conservative groups 
for supporting the decriminalization of abortion in Mexico 
City, which was backed by the Democratic Revolutionary Party 
(PRD), but not by the United Left Faction of Andres Manuel 
Lopez Obrador (AMLO). His support for the initiative likely 
cost him crucial votes. 
 
-- Luis Raul Gonzalez Perez: Currently UNAM's General 
Counsel, Gonzalez finished a very distant third.  He served 
as a CNDH official in charge of the Journalists, program and 
was former First Visitor of CNDH during the Jorge Carpizo and 
Jorge Madrazo administrations, when CNDH was created.  He was 
also a prosecutor at the Office of the Attorney General (PGR) 
in charge of the investigation into the assassination of 
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presidential 
candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio.  He is aligned with Carpizo, 
who is close to former PRI President Carlos Salinas. 
Gonzalez' poor showing at the hearing, at which Plascencia 
outshone him, cost him critical support. 
 
 
Reaction to Plasencia's Appointment 
 
¶8. (SBU) Opinions on Plascencia differ, with detractors 
worried about his close ties to Soberanes.  Carlos Heredia 
from the Center for Investigation and Economics (CIDE) told 
Poloff that he thought Alvarez Icaza was the most independent 
and promising candidate and lamented his defeat.  He said 
that CIDE would join other groups in monitoring Plascencia's 
performance to make sure that he implements his proposals and 
improves CNDH policy.  Representatives from leading Human 
Rights NGO Fray Francisco de Vitorio Center, registered 
disappointment with the result, which they see as a 
continuation of the much criticized Soberanes era.  On the 
other hand, more than 500 NGOs publicly expressed their 
support for Plascencia's presidency, encouraging him to 
strengthen CNDH's relationship with the NGO community. 
 
Comment 
 
¶9. (SBU) Plasencia has promised to present a number of 
reforms to Congress within the first 100 days of his tenure, 
including an initiative to strengthen CNDH's ability to 
enforce its recommendations.  If he is successful he could 
help fulfill the unrealized potential in the CNDH, an 
 
MEXICO 00003172  003 OF 003 
 
 
important human rights institution without parallel in the 
rest of the continent.  While it can produce comprehensive 
reports that are impressive, the CNDH is open to political 
pressures that often dilute its effectiveness.  The new CNDH 
president will need to build closer ties with the broader 
human rights community and exert more pressure on government 
agencies to end impunity for abuses. It can also help to 
propose practical remedies for long-standing problems and 
promote needed constitutional reform. In the past, CNDH 
investigators have been resourceful in documenting abuses 
and,in some instances, proactive in promoting structural 
reforms.  Plasencia can help build a CNDH that works 
constructively with government and the NGO community on 
practical ways to reinforce civil society and strengthen the 
Mexican Government's commitment to addressing human rights 
problems. 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American 
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
PASCUAL