Andrés Roemer Slomianski (born July 12, 1963) is a Mexican writer, former ambassador to UNESCO, and fugitive. As of 2021 Andrés Roemer has ceased his collaboration with UNESCO after 61 women accused him of rape and sexual abuse. He is currently under investigation by the Mexican authorities and awaits extraditon hearings in Israel.

Early life and education

Roemer is the grandson of orchestra German Jewish conductor Ernesto Roemer, who emigrated to Mexico in 1938, and grew up in Mexico City. He completed a BA in economics at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) in Mexico City (1983 to 1987) and a Bachelor in Law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, 1983–1987). Roemer also has a Ph.D. in public policy (1991 to 1994) from the Goldman School of Public Policy of University of California at Berkeley.

Career

Academic positions

From 1987 until 2000, Roemer worked as professor at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). Between 1992 and 1994, he was professor in the Masters in Public Policy between Mexico and the United States at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Between 2011 and 2013, he was senior research fellow at the law school at the University of California, Berkeley.

Civil service and public appointments

Roemer was Mexico's Ambassador to UNESCO based in Paris from 2016. He also served as Consul General of Mexico in San Francisco from 2013 to 2016. From 2010 until 2013, he was a member of the advisory board of the National Human Rights Commission. Roemer was removed as Mexico's ambassador to UNESCO following his refusal to cast the country's support of the Occupied Palestine Resolution.

Rape and sexual harassment accusations

Andrés Roemer has been accused of rape and sexual harassment by at least sixty-one women, according to the organization Periodistas Unidas Mexicanas (PUM). Most of these women claim to have been harassed or raped with the same modus operandi: Mr. Roemer would meet with them at his home for job interviews, where the assaults would take place. Since 2019, some accusations had been made anonymously, but in February, 2021, Mexican dancer Itzel Schnaas decided to make her accusation public and several other accusers followed. In the aftermath of these events, Roemer fled to Israel to avoid criminal charges, where he was again accused of sexual misconduct. Roemer has denied the abuse allegations of Ms. Schnaas through a publicly released video, but has not commented on accusations made by the other women. Roemer's weekly television show ″De cabeza con Andrés Roemer″ was cancelled on March 7, 2021. Over the same weekend, Roemer's mansion in Colonia Roma was blocked off from the street with large wooden plates. On 5 May 2021, an arrest warrant for the felony of rape was issued by the Attorney General of Mexico. Roemer was arrested by the Israeli police on 2 October 2023 following the rape and sexual harassment allegations ahead of his planned extradition to Mexico.

Publications