On October 21, 2013 Mexico’s Supreme Court, in collaboration with Sin Fronteras I.A.P. and other civil society organizations, held a forum on “Judicial Power and the Rights of Migrants and those Subject to International Protection.” The forum was organized in recognition of the recently published Code of Conduct for those who preside over Cases that Affect Migrants and Persons Subject to International Protection (Protocolo de actuación para quienes imparten justicia en casos que afecten a migrantes y personas sujetas de protección internacional). The Code of Conduct is a tool that will help those who impart justice become familiar with international standards and to interpret them in a manner that will maximize protection of the human rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The document is the first of its kind in Latin America and is the product of collaboration between Sin Fronteras, the Supreme Court presidency, and a Advisory Council that included representatives from other Mexican NGOs, as well as from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
In the forum, the Supreme Court recognized that its responsibilities go beyond establishing parameters for authorities actions in individual cases, to include human rights training for those who impart justice. The forum included panel discussions on “Migration, Asylum, and Human Rights” and “National and International Best Practices in Migration and Asylum” with experts from the Supreme Court and Mexico’s District Courts, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Association of Refugee Law Judges, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Fundación para la Justicia y el Estado Democrático de Derecho, and the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS).
Download the Code of Conduct: www.sinfronteras.org.mx
Read the press release from the Supreme Court: http://www2.scjn.gob.mx/red2/comunicados/comunicado.asp?id=2720