US-Backed Human Rights Commissioner Conducts Unofficial Meetings in Mexico
Rosa María Payá, the recently appointed commissioner for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), has undertaken a series of non-official visits to Mexico in recent months, meeting with figures on the right while reportedly avoiding contact with Mexican authorities or undertaking any official duties.
One such visit occurred on January 22nd, when Payá participated in a forum titled “Cuba and Latin America, six decades of authoritarianism,” organized in Mexico City by the Universidad de la Libertad, founded by businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego and sponsored by the Centro Ricardo Salinas Pliego. Former Foreign Secretary Jorge Castañeda (2000-2003), writer Carlos Téllo Díaz, and María Werlau of the Miami-based Archivo Cuba were also participants in the event.
Payá delivered a presentation titled “The hope of democracy,” but did not publicize her attendance on social media, and no record of the event appeared on the profiles of the sponsoring organizations. Unlike other activities involving CIDH members in various countries, the CIDH itself did not issue statements or reports regarding a potential official agenda for Payá in Mexico during that period.
Videos circulated by attendees show Payá criticizing the Cuban government and accusing it of promoting regional projects such as the São Paulo Forum and what she termed “21st-century socialism.”
Payá’s participation in the forum sponsored by Salinas Pliego followed a mid-January filing by the businessman with the CIDH, alleging political and fiscal persecution by the Mexican state.
Diplomatic sources indicate that Payá made at least one prior, unpublicized trip to Mexico. It remains unclear whether she entered the country utilizing the immunities and privileges afforded to CIDH members or as a tourist. According to the CIDH statute, its members enjoy diplomatic immunities and privileges necessary for performing their functions from the moment of their election and throughout their term.
The CIDH is comprised of seven independent members elected by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) on a personal basis, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence. Payá, a US citizen of Cuban origin, assumed her position on January 1st, following her election in June 2025.
Her candidacy was actively promoted by the administration of former US President Donald Trump and by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also of Cuban origin and closely associated with the activist. She was formally nominated by the Department of State on March 26th. During the selection process, an Independent Panel for the Evaluation of Candidatures to the Bodies of the Inter-American Human Rights System expressed concern regarding her membership in “various civil society organizations during the election process, and even the willingness to continue in the leadership of some of them after being elected commissioner,” warning that this could raise questions about the appearance of independence.
Since her appointment, Payá – the daughter of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, and executive director of the Pan American Democracy Foundation, born in Havana in 1989 – has maintained a high public profile, participating in forums and engaging on social media with critical commentary regarding the Cuban government.
In December, she posted content from Oslo, mentioning her accompaniment of Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. On February 1st, she stated on Instagram that, weeks before former President Trump signed an executive order authorizing additional tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba, she participated in Washington at a conference convened by anti-Castro organizations, where she described the island as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”