Assessing the CNDH

According to a poll of more than 6,000 Mexicans who submitted a complaint to the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) this year, 77 percent said that the service was excellent, while another 17 percent said it was good. Of course, the CNDH carried out the poll itself, which suggests that objectivity may have been a bit lacking. 

On the other hand, a handful of independent NGOs recently said that the CNDH is one of the most expensive and least effective commissions in Latin America. Under José Luis Soberanes, the budget has increased by 300 percent in a decade, with 70 percent of the funds used to pay staff, but the organization hasn't become a titan of rights. In 2008, the critics point out, in more than half of the complaints, the CNDH determined that no rights violation had been committed.