Disappeared students in Mexico: Ten years of hope for clarification

As of: September 26, 2024 4:57 p.m

Ten years ago, 43 students disappeared without a trace in Mexico. The case remains unsolved to this day and information about the military’s involvement is withheld. And people still disappear every day.

Anne Demmer

Marie Kristin Boese

“We will never forget September 26th. On this day we will always fight together,” shouts María de Jesús Tlatempa at the top of her lungs – in chant together with other parents of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa.

Her son José Eduardo disappeared ten years ago today. She still doesn’t know the truth about what happened. She suffers from the uncertainty. “They took her alive, we want her back alive,” chants the mother.

Tlatempa definitely wants to hold on to this as long as her son and the other students are not found. After his disappearance everything changed, her life now revolves around the search.

Handed over to criminals by police officers

José Eduardo was 19 years old when his mother saw him for the last time. The students of the Ayotzinapa Rural Teacher Training College disappeared on the night of September 26-27, 2014 in the town of Iguala. They were attacked by police forces and later handed over to the criminal organization Guerreros Unidos. Six people died that night and others were seriously injured.

The case of the 43 missing students is seen in Mexico as emblematic of the involvement of organized crime and state security forces.

President did not keep promises of education

The outgoing Mexican President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has officially recognized that it is a state crime. After his predecessor Enrique Peña Nieto tried to cover up what happened, he even set up a truth commission.

But in the end, AMLO, as the president is known for short, did not keep his promise, says María Luisa Aguilar Rodríguez from the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez human rights center.

At the beginning of his term in office there were efforts to find out the truth. In the last two years, politicians have also tried to place themselves above criminal investigations and obstruct justice.

Military hinders investigations

In addition, the army also extremely hindered the investigation, says Rodríguez. “In some cases they have not released information that could be useful in learning more about the whereabouts of the students.” According to the human rights activist, those responsible also tried at all costs to protect army members who were associated with organized crime.

The independent expert group GIEI, set up by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, also pointed out in its report that the military was not just passive, but actively withheld information that could have led to the rescue of the students.

Relatives of the victims are frustrated by the slow progress in the investigation and the lack of clarity about the military’s role. They feel betrayed and demand the release of 800 military documents that are supposed to document the forced disappearance of the students. But the files are withheld.

President downplays military responsibility

The president doesn’t want to hear any such criticism. During his term in office, he has continued to strengthen the military; now even the civilian body, the National Guard, is to be subordinated to the Ministry of Defense.

In his morning press conference a few days before his resignation, he praised his successes and once again downplayed the military’s responsibility. Illegal actions by some members of the army could not affect the reputation of this institution.

“151 people are being prosecuted for their alleged involvement in the disappearance of the students, including 134 civilians and 16 military personnel, two generals and a member of the Navy,” the President stressed.

It is an affront to family members. So far, only three of the students’ remains have been identified: Jhosivani Guerrero last year, Christian Rodríguez in 2020 and Alexander Mora in 2014.

Every hour a person disappears in Mexico

Meanwhile, in Mexico, an average of one person disappears every hour: men, women, teenagers and even children. Everything just continues unabated, criticizes investigative journalist and author Marcela Turati: drug smuggling, people disappearing – and the media is being silenced. “There are threats. Journalists who research these topics are killed. So it’s difficult to hear anything about it.”

Turati has been researching enforced disappearances for years. She is the co-founder of the journalist network Quinto Elemento Lab. The latest study by the investigative platform shows that the crisis has worsened under President López Obrador.

About 51,000 of the more than 115,000 victims disappeared during López Obrador’s time in office. A mammoth task for the new President Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office on October 1st. So far she has preferred to keep a low profile on these topics.

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