IACHR Calls the Case of the Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlán “Alarming”

“It reflects the degradation of violence by organized crime to a level contrary to human dignity”, warns the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) described as “alarming” the existence of spaces for training and disappearance of people such as the Izaguirre ranch, in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, “for a prolonged period of time without intervention by the authorities”.

After recognizing the collective Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco for locating human remains at the Izaguirre ranch, a space that had been under state protection since September 2024, in a statement the IACHR considered that “both the denunciations of forced recruitment, training, forced labor and disappearance of persons – among other crimes – and the type of objects found reflect the degradation of violence by organized crime to a level contrary to human dignity.”

He added that “it is alarming that places of this nature have been able to operate for prolonged periods of time without the intervention of authorities”. 

22 days after the discovery, the IACHR called on the Mexican State to “investigate these facts with due diligence, punish those responsible and guarantee that the victims and their families receive adequate and timely reparations. 

After taking note of the execution of arrest warrants against “persons closely linked to the Izaguirre ranch,” the Inter-American organization added that “the families have the right to know the fate or whereabouts of their loved ones, while Mexican society has the right to know the truth about what happened there. 

He emphasized that “in situations of human rights violations committed in the context of organized crime, the appropriate penalties must be applied and all possible direct or indirect participation of state agents must be investigated, including possible omissions”.

It also considered that for the identification of human remains found at the site, “it is the duty of the Mexican State to conduct a reliable process, based on science and evidence”, while “any return of objects found whose ownership can be attributed and, when the time comes, the restitution of human remains, should be carried out with dignity while respecting the pain of the families”. 

Regarding the discovery of “clandestine graves, charred skeletal remains and household items, which suggest that the ranch had been used for criminal activities as a center for recruitment, training, murder and disappearance of persons,” the IACHR recalled that “although the search groups exercise their right to search for their relatives, this doesn’t exempt the Mexican State from its duty to investigate and search in accordance with its human rights obligations. 

The Inter-American organization recognized the Mexican State’s announcement to “provide the victims with comprehensive attention and the elaboration of a timeline that explains the time difference between the seizure of the property and the findings of the search group”. 

After assessing the legislative and administrative measures to address the problem of disappearances, announced on March 17 by President Claudia Sheinbaum, the IACHR noted that for 25 years it has monitored “the situation of mass disappearances of persons” in the country, and therefore “the participation of victims and families of missing persons must be guaranteed.”

Calling on the authorities to publicly recognize the work of the searchers’ collectives as human rights defenders, and valuing their work at Rancho Izaguirre, “avoiding their revictimization”, the organization reiterated its “recognition and solidarity with the valuable work of the collectives and families searching for missing persons in Mexico, which must be exercised with security and freedom guaranteed by the State”.

Source: Proceso