FIFA World Cup: Families of disappeared persons must be able to speak out and demonstrate freely, say UN experts

GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed concern over reports they received regarding incidents in which relatives of disappeared persons and organisations supporting them faced interference during their peaceful protests, intimidation, and online harassment, whilst seeking to draw attention to Mexico's disappearance crisis during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

"We are concerned by reports of incidents in which families searching for disappeared loved ones reportedly faced interference whilst peacefully making their voices heard during one of the world's largest sporting events," the experts said. "International sporting events should never come at the expense of civic space or the rights of victims."

“States have an obligation to guarantee the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, and to ensure that human rights defenders and victims of human rights violations can carry out their legitimate activities free from surveillance, intimidation, reprisals or undue interference,” the experts said.

According to information received, relatives of disappeared persons organised peaceful demonstrations, symbolic actions and public awareness activities around World Cup events to draw international attention to the country's high number of disappearances and to reiterate their demands for truth, justice and reparation.

In some cases, security operations around tournament venues were reportedly used to restrict some of these activities. According to reports, in the context of these incidents, victims were surrounded by police whilst peacefully distributing search notices for their disappeared relatives. Other groups were allegedly prevented from reaching planned demonstrations, and some members of collectives searching for their loved ones were reportedly summoned by prosecutorial authorities on the day of the tournament's opening ceremony, thus constraining their participation.

"Major events naturally attract global attention, creating a vital window of expression for social movements, civil society organisations, and local populations to vocalise systemic local, national or even global problems. The international attention generated by the FIFA World Cup provided an opportunity for the government to demonstrate a genuine commitment to human rights, and the State’s adoption of various measures in this regard is acknowledged," the experts said. "However, we call on authorities to ensure that families of disappeared persons can peacefully exercise their rights, that allegations of undue interference are promptly and impartially investigated and that effective measures are taken to protect those who continue searching for their loved ones."

The experts are in contact with the Government of Mexico on this issue and appreciate its cooperation and willingness to engage in dialogue.