Centro Regional de Defensa de Derechos Humanos Jose María Morelos y Pavón

Centro Regional de Defensa de Derechos Humanos Jose María Morelos y Pavón works to advance rights in Guerrero state through legal representation, policy advocacy, and assistance to victims. Founded in 1997, the organization has provided continued support to victims of human rights abuses for the past two decades, including the relatives of the 43 Ayotzinapa students that were forcefully disappeared in 2014. This project supports case documentation and litigation in order to help advance improved policies and practices by the prosecutor’s office. It also supports monitoring of the state’s work to identify remains and establish the whereabouts of dozens of disappeared persons in areas surrounding Chilapa, Guerrero.

Based in Guerrero state, Centro Regional de Defensa de los Derechos Humanos José María Morelos y Pavón is an organization whose mission is to address impunity in violence and human rights abuses toward vulnerable populations. The award supports efforts to improve investigations of disappearances through case litigation, monitoring compliance with a new federal protocol, and advocating effective policies and procedures in searching for victims.