In April, PBI travelled to Saltillo and Torreon, Coahuila in order to meet with members of the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center, an organization that has received PBI accompaniment since 2013.

On 26 April the organization celebrated 18 years of work promoting a human rights culture through the Jesús Torres Migrant Day Center and the collective of relatives United Forces for our Disappeared in Coahuila – Mexico (FUUNDEC-M).

The visit took place in the context of the exhumations that began as part of the State Plan for Exhumations.

The goal of this was to identify unidentified bodies in the State of Coahuila which correspond to the time period between 2006-2017. The process was observed by representatives of the four family collectives of Coahuila: Families United in the Search for Disappeared People , VIDA Laguna Group, Wings of Hope, and United Forces for Our Disappeared in Coahuila and Mexico (FUUNDEC-M).

Also present were the human rights organizations that accompany these collectives, such as the Fray Juan de Larios Diocese Center for Human Rights and the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center.

The UN High Commission for Human Rights in Mexico also attended along with the National Attorney General (PGR) and other representatives of the federal government.

During a hearing with the State Governor on 22 April – during which PBI accompanied the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center and the Fray Juan de Larios Human Rights Center – an agreement was established to create a calendar for the next exhumations, and to establish continuity of actions despite the upcoming change in government.

It is important to highlight that, according to the special report by the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) on the disappearance of people and the mass graves in Mexico, there may be up to 1,871 victims of disappearance in the State of Coahuila.