The ministers of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) have not been able to agree on whether or not the existence of the Public Registry of Sexual Offenders in Mexico City is constitutional and, for the moment, they have decided to close it to the public. The discussion in plenary session on the registry, created in April 2021 as a result of several reforms made by the Congress of the country’s capital to the Penal Code and the Law on Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence and the Rights of Girls , Children and Adolescents, began on February 14. After two sessions, the ministers have not obtained the necessary votes to decide on the future of the bank that has the information of sentenced rapists and feminicides.
In Wednesday’s session, a majority of eight ministers endorsed that access to the registry be closed to the public and limited to authorities investigating crimes of sexual abuse, femicide, rape and attempted rape.
The project in favor of the validity of the registry was presented by Minister Yasmin Esquivel, after the National Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City filed challenges against the reforms to the laws with which the registry was created. place.
For his part, Minister Javier Laynez chose not to share the proposal because he considered that the registry is in violation of the constitutional framework. “It seems to me that this measure is not effective for the protection of women,” he said. Minister Jorge Pardo argued that the information bank violates social reinsertion.
After the vote caused confusion in plenary, the president of the Court, Minister Norma Pina, proposed to continue the discussion next Monday and then make a decision on the platform on which the names of 417 sentenced in the trial are currently located. capital of the country for sexual crimes.
According to figures from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, Mexico City began 2023 in third place for femicides nationwide, after the State of Mexico and Nuevo Leon.
