Emilio Álvarez Icaza Longoria (born 31 March 1965) is a
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
human rights ombudsman and activist serving as a senator in the
LXIV Legislature of the Mexican Congress
The LXIV Legislature of the Mexican Congress was the meeting of the Mexican Congress of the Union that convened on 1 September 2018 and ended on 31 August 2021. It is composed of the 500 federal deputies and 128 senators elected in the 2018 Me ...
from
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. He previously served as the president of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (the IACHR or, in the three other official languages Spanish, French, and Portuguese CIDH, ''Comisión Interamericana de los Derechos Humanos'', ''Commission Interaméricaine des Droits de l'Homme'', ...
.
Life and political career
Álvarez Icaza was born on 31 March 1965 in Mexico City, Mexico. Álvarez Icaza holds a degree in sociology from the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...
(UNAM) and a master's degree in social sciences from the
Latin American Social Sciences Institute
The Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences ( es, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, pt, Faculdade Latino-Americana de Ciências Sociais or FLACSO) is a graduate-only university and inter-governmental autonomous organization for La ...
. From 1986 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1999, he worked at the
Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social, becoming its leader from August 1994 to January 1999.
In 1999, he became one of the first electoral councilors of the new
Instituto Electoral del Distrito Federal. Two years later, he was elected to head the (CDHDF), serving two four-year terms.
Álvarez Icaza has taught graduate courses at a variety of schools, including the UNAM,
Universidad Iberoamericana
The Ibero-American University ( es, Universidad Iberoamericana), also referred to by its acronym ''UIA'' but commonly known as ''Ibero'' or ''La Ibero'') is a private, Catholic, Mexican higher education institution, sponsored by the Mexican provi ...
, and the Center for Humanities Teaching and Studies of the State of Morelos. Álvarez Icaza is also a member of the ''Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity'', who were organizers of the main protests during the
October 15th Movement.
President of the IACHR
On 19 July 2012, Álvarez Icaza was chosen to be the executive secretary of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (the IACHR or, in the three other official languages Spanish, French, and Portuguese CIDH, ''Comisión Interamericana de los Derechos Humanos'', ''Commission Interaméricaine des Droits de l'Homme'', ...
(IACHR) for a four-year term, taking the post on 16 August.
While serving on the IACHR, the
Procuraduría General de la República
The Attorney General of the Republic is the head of the Attorney General's Office (''Fiscalía General de la República, FGR''; prior to 2019, ''Procuraduría General de la República, PGR'') and the Federal Public Ministry of the United Mexic ...
opened an investigation against him for alleged misuse of funds given by the Mexican government to the IACHR to finance its activities relating to the
Ayotzinapa mass disappearance; the investigation was ultimately abandoned.
In 2016, he was replaced by
Paulo Abrão of Brazil.
''Ahora'' movement and presidential bid
On 27 February 2017, Álvarez Icaza announced he was launching a political movement in Mexico City, known as ''Ahora'' (Now), initially with the goal of putting citizen candidates on the ballot in 2018 and as a vehicle for an independent presidential bid. That October, citing the outcome of the State of Mexico election earlier that year, he withdrew his candidacy, worried that the election had been too similar to
that of 1988 and declaring that he "would not be useful to the PRI", like other independent candidates who he claimed had their candidacies secretly supported by the presidency.
2018 Senate candidacy
In March 2018, Álvarez Icaza announced that Ahora would back the
Por México al Frente
Por México al Frente (lit. For Mexico to the Front), also known as Frente Ciudadano por México (Citizen Front for Mexico), Frente Amplio Democrático (Broad Democratic Front), or Frente Amplio Opositor (Broad Opposition Front)), was a big tent e ...
coalition, including presidential candidate
Ricardo Anaya Cortés
Ricardo Anaya Cortés (Spanish: iˈkaɾðo anˈaʝa koɾˈtes born 25 February 1979) is a Mexican lawyer and politician, and a member and former president of the centre-right National Action Party (PAN). He held the positions of Federal Dep ...
, and that the movement would run legislative candidates in the coalition, with three candidates for Senate and five for the Chamber of Deputies. Álvarez joined the
PAN-
PRD-
MC Senate ticket for Mexico City alongside
Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz
Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz (born 22 February 1963) is a Mexican engineer, businesswoman and politician. Since 2018, she has served as a Senator of the LXIV Legislature of the Mexican Congress by principle of proportional representation. She belongs t ...
. The ticket finished second in the election, giving Álvarez a seat as the first minority senator.
On 23 August 2018, Álvarez Icaza announced he would serve as an independent senator and not join the caucuses of any of the parties that ran him for Senate, noting that he is not a member of any of them; additionally, the other Ahora candidates elected,
Ana Lucía Riojas Martínez
Ana Lucía Riojas Martínez is a Mexican politician who will serve as a Chamber of Deputies in the LXIV Legislature of the Mexican Congress.
Life
Riojas studied communications at the Universidad Iberoamericana
The Ibero-American University ...
and
Carlos Morales Vázquez
Carlos Óscar Morales Vázquez (born 27 October 1957) is a Mexican politician affiliated with the Party of the Democratic Revolution. As of 2014 he served as Deputy of the LVII and LX Legislatures of the Mexican Congress representing Chiapas ...
, would enter the legislature as independents, though they ran on the PRD and PAN lists, respectively.
Personal life
Álvarez Icaza is married and has three children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez Icaza, Emilio
Mexican sociologists
Living people
Human rights in Latin America
1965 births
National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni
21st-century Mexican politicians
People from Mexico City
Members of the Senate of the Republic (Mexico) for Mexico City
Senators of the LXIV and LXV Legislatures of Mexico