Mexico: eight years after the disappearance of the 43 students, the families do not want to let go

Relatives of the 43 Ayotzinapa students who disappeared in 2014 protesting in the streets of Mexico City on September 23, 2022, three days before the commemorations marking this sad event.

AP - Fernando Llano

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Monday, September 26, Mexico marches for the 43 students of the Ayotzinapa school, who disappeared eight years ago in Iguala.

While a recent report has denied the version of events and called this case a "state crime", the commemoration of this sad anniversary will be held in an intense context.

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With our correspondent in Mexico,

It was eight years ago, in Mexico.

On the night of September 26 to 27, 2014,

, in the state of Guerrero.

The mystery of what happened remains.

The version of events, given by the authorities at the time and called "the historical truth", was full of inconsistencies.

It has been completely contradicted by the report of a special commission of the current government, responsible for taking up the case again.

This report calls the case a "state crime"

and points to the direct responsibility of the police and the army.

Several dozen arrest warrants for police and soldiers have been issued.

The former attorney general of the Republic, as well as a senior military official, colonel in the army, were arrested. 

The national march in Mexico City on Monday, September 26, will be the culmination of more than a week of protests in Mexico.

Eight years after the events, the families of the victims are at their wit's end, and since the recent revelations of the special commission and the subsequent arrests, the demonstrators feel that it is now or never to put pressure on the government. ,

and move towards justice.

Trust undermined by yet another controversy

At the same time, on the eve of the anniversary of the disappearance of the 43 normaliens, the scandal continues.

The press revealed that at the request of members of the public prosecutor's office, a federal judge canceled 21 of the 80 arrest warrants issued against soldiers and officials suspected of having played a role in the case.

The maneuver was done discreetly, without justification and without even notifying the special police unit which is in charge of investigating the case.

This is yet another controversy that raises questions about the authenticity of a new justice process for the Ayotzinapa case.

Just before, the case had been revived by the leak of a document which reveals very raw details on how the persons in charge would have made disappear the students.

These developments upset public opinion and especially families, who now say they have great difficulty trusting any official discourse.

► To read also: Mexico: the former attorney general will be tried for the disappearance of the 43 students of Ayotzinapa

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