Quintana is a human rights expert and legal scholar with extensive experience in international human rights law, transitional justice, and constitutional law. As the former National Commissioner for the Search of Missing Persons in Mexico, she led efforts to address over 100,000 cases of disappearances and more than 70,000 unidentified bodies.

Prior to this role, Quintana served as Head of the Victims’ Federal Public Defense in Mexico, where she led initiatives to enhance access to justice, psychological assistance, and reparations for victims of crimes and human rights violations.

At the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Quintana litigated cases of systemic human rights violations before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Quintana was an Associate Researcher at El Colegio de México, focusing on transitional justice and disappearances. She holds a Doctorate in Law from UNAM, an LLM from Harvard University, and a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from the University of Barcelona.

Speeches by Karla Quintana, Head of the Independent Institution