On May 11th, 2026, the Official Gazette of the Federation published the official summary of the judgment issued on August 22nd, 2025, by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case “García Andrade et al. v. Mexico”.
The Court found the Mexican State internationally responsible for violations of multiple human rights to the detriment of Lilia Alejandra García Andrade, a 17-year-old mother employed at a maquiladora in Ciudad Juárez, who was forcibly disappeared on February 14th, 2001, after leaving for work and never returning. Her mother, Norma Esther Andrade, reported the disappearance, but authorities told her she would have to wait 48 to 72 hours before a report could be filed.
On February 21st, 2001, Lilia Alejandra’s body was found on a vacant lot in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, bearing signs of strangulation and sexual violence. The ensuing investigation, conducted between 2001 and 2010, was plagued by serious deficiencies that ultimately led to the denial of an arrest warrant against a suspected perpetrator. It was not until 2023, following new forensic genetic testing, that a suspect was formally charged.
Lilia Alejandra’s mother, Norma Esther Andrade, also suffered human rights violations: upon becoming an activist demanding justice for her daughter’s femicide, she survived two attempts on her life — one involving a firearm and another a bladed weapon — with both unsuccessful criminal investigations.
The rights found to have been violated include:
- The rights to life (Art. 4 ACHR), personal integrity (Art. 5 ACHR), personal liberty (Art. 7 ACHR), equality before the law (Art. 24 ACHR), and the right to live free from violence, to the detriment of Lilia Alejandra García Andrade.
- The rights of the child (Art. 19 ACHR) and protection of the family (Art. 17 ACHR), with respect to the victim’s children and next of kin.
- The right to a fair trial (Art. 8 ACHR), judicial protection (Art. 25 ACHR), and the right to truth (Arts. 8.1, 13.1, and 25.1 ACHR), on account of the failure to conduct an adequate and diligent investigation.
- The right to defend human rights, as recognized under inter-American jurisprudence, in connection with the attacks suffered by Norma Esther Andrade.
The judgment orders Mexico to:
- Continue all investigations and judicial proceedings related to the underlying facts.
- Provide medical and psychological care to the victim’s family members.
- Publish and disseminate the ruling through official channels and widely circulated media outlets.
- Hold a public act of acknowledgment of responsibility and formal apology.
- Conduct regulatory and institutional assessments to strengthen policies addressing gender-based violence and enforced disappearances.
- Pay reparations for both pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages.
