#AYOT2INAPA
Two years ago, the disappearance of 43 students had international repercussions and exposed the human rights crisis in Mexico
Over the past six weeks, Conectas took part in the “43 days for the 43” campaign managed by Prodh (Miguel Agústin Pro Juárez Human Rights Center) and other Mexican organizations to honor the memory of the students from a rural college in Ayotzinapa, in the state of Guerrero, who disappeared exactly two years ago. #AYOT2INAPA was the hashtag chosen to represent the campaign on the social networks.
On September 26, 2014, while making their way by bus from the city of Iguala to Chilpancingo, the students were attacked twice: first, by municipal police officers and then by a group of unidentified armed men. During these assaults, six students were killed and 43 disappeared after being taken away in police vehicles. Since then, families, friends and organizations have mobilized to demand explanations and the prosecution of those responsible. The case is part of a broader context of violence in the country, where more than 26,000 people disappeared between 2006 and 2014.
In addition to the “43 days for the 43” campaign, the month of September was marked by important initiatives to mobilize and recover the memories of the victims. Last week, the representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico, Jan Jarab, met with the parents of the missing students, the Prodh Center and other organizations that provide assistance to the families. At the time, he said that the tragedy must not go unpunished, that the harm must be remedied and that the Mexican government must provide a guarantee that episodes like these are not repeated.
Read more:
Ayotzinapa :: 43 still missing
The campaign ended officially on September 26 with a march organized by the parents, relatives and friends of the students, but the pursuit of justice continues: until there are answers, the perpetrators are punished and there is an independent investigation into the incident – as civil society and human rights organizations like Conectas have requested of the authorities – the struggle will go on tirelessly.
Watch the short documentary Visual Action Ayotzinapa: International Photographic Exhibition produced by Visual Action and the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center on the first anniversary of the disappearance of the students, in 2015.
Curated by the Argentine photographer Marcelo Brodsky, the idea behind the project was to create a visual campaign expressing the worldwide support and solidarity for the Ayotzinapa students and their families. The executive director of Conectas, Jessica Morris, took part in the event and in the documentary.
