Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/3752

 CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—MAY 3, 2006

120 STAT. 3721

Whereas these murders have brought pain to the families and friends of the victims on both sides of the border as they struggle to cope with the loss of their loved ones; Whereas many of the victims have yet to be positively identified; Whereas the perpetrators of most of these heinous acts remain unknown; Whereas the Mexican Federal Government has taken steps to pre´ vent these abductions and murders in Ciudad Juarez, including setting up a commission to coordinate Federal and State efforts, establishing a 40-point plan, appointing a special commissioner, and appointing a special prosecutor; Whereas the Mexican Federal special prosecutor’s review of the ´ Ciudad Juarez murder investigations found evidence that over 100 police, prosecutors, forensics experts, and other State of Chihuahua justice officials failed to properly investigate the crimes, and recommended that they be held accountable for their acts of negligence, abuse of authority, and omission; Whereas the Government of Mexico has recognized the importance of the work of the Mexican Federal special prosecutor and has shifted the mission of the prosecutor’s office to assist local authorities in investigating and prosecuting crimes of violence against women throughout the country; Whereas in 2003 the El Paso Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the El Paso Police Department began providing Mexican Federal, State, and municipal law enforcement authorities with training in investigation techniques and methods; Whereas the United States Agency for International Development has begun providing assistance to the State of Chihuahua for judicial reform; Whereas the government of the State of Chihuahua has jurisdiction over these crimes; Whereas the Governor and Attorney General of the State of Chihuahua have expressed willingness to collaborate with the Mexican Federal Government and United States officials in addressing these crimes; Whereas the Department of State has provided consular services on behalf of the American citizen and her husband who were tortured into confessing to one of the murders; Whereas Mexico is a party to the following international treaties and declarations that relate to abductions and murders: the Charter of the Organization of American States, the American Convention on Human Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the United Nations Declaration on Violence Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention of Belem do Para, the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture, the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance, and the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of All Persons From Enforced Disappearance; and

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