Mexican Supreme Court Receives Human Rights Prize From United Nations

The Mexican Supreme Court has been honored by the United Nations for its achievements in human rights. Minister Juan Silva was in New York on Tuesday to receive the award which recognizes those who promote and protect human rights and fundamental human liberties. The UN stated that the Mexican court had achieved considerable progress in human rights and had taken on its obligations in the area on the international stage. The ceremony held during the General Assembly marked the 65th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The United Nations ceremony also recognized the work of certain individuals for their contributions to human rights around the world, including the late South African president Nelson Mandela, as well as Civil Rights Movement leader Dr. Martin Luther King. Other award winners included Pakistan's Malala Yousafazi, Biram Dah Abeid of Mauritania, who works to abolish slavery in the country, Khadija Ryadi, former president of the Morocco Association for Human Rights; Liisa Kauppinen from Finland, president emeritus of the World Federation of the Deaf.

The award to Mexico's Supreme Court is somewhat surprising given that Human Rights Watch recently wrote an open letter to the country's president, Enrique Peña Nieto, criticizing him for failing to make any significant progress in human rights for the country. The letter detailed abuses "including torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances - committed by security forces in the context of efforts to combat organized crime." While it seems that this latest development would indicate that the Supreme Court at least has made some progress in the country, clearly their is a discrepancy between the nation's judicial and executive powers.