Rosario Ibarra de Piedra
Human rights champion in Mexico has died
Rosario Ibarra de Piedra died in Monterrey at the age of 95. Photo: Alex Cruz/EFE/epa/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Rosario Ibarra is considered a pioneer for human rights in Mexico. Now the activist and politician has died at the age of 95.
Mexican activist and politician Rosario Ibarra de Piedra has died in Monterrey at the age of 95.
This was announced by the National Human Rights Commission CNDH of Mexico, whose president is Rosario Ibarra’s daughter Rosario, on Twitter on Saturday.
Rosario Ibarra is considered a pioneer for human rights in the North American country. She has been a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize several times.
Her son Jesús Piedra Ibarra, accused of belonging to a communist armed group, “disappeared” after his arrest in the 1970s. He is believed to be a victim of enforced disappearances by the Mexican government at the time. In 1977, Rosario Ibarra founded a movement for family members of the disappeared in Mexico.
100,000 people are believed to have disappeared in Mexico
The problem of enforced disappearances persists in Mexico today, with 100,000 people in the country currently believed to have disappeared. A connection with organized crime is often suspected, and it is not uncommon for the police to be involved.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador lamented the death of Rosario Ibarra on Twitter, “who will always remind us of her deep love for our children and solidarity with those who suffer from the disappearance of their loved ones”.