Ayotzinapa :: Independent investigation now
Pressure mounts on Mexican government to investigate disappearance of students and punish those responsible
Given the delays by the Mexican government in concluding the investigation into the Ayotzinapa tragedy, which resulted in the disappearance of 43 students nearly two years ago, 12 human rights organizations, among them Conectas, have stepped up pressure on the country’s authorities for an independent investigation into the case and the punishment of those responsible.
In a letter sent to President Enrique Peña Nieto on Wednesday, July 13, the organizations called for the creation of a mechanism for monitoring the case that follows recommendations established by the IACHR (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the OAS). The request comes more than two months after an Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts, which was commissioned by the Comission to look into the case at the request of the Mexican authorities, completed its mandate. The group of experts identified flaws in the investigation process conducted by the Office of the Attorney General and exposed the deliberate attempts by the government to obstruct the investigations.
According to the organizations, the State has still not complied with the main purpose of the initial agreement with the group, to “locate the missing students and guarantee justice for the families of the victims”. They explained that the creation of a mechanism that follows the recommendations of the IACHR “will demonstrate the willingness of the Mexican government to cooperate with the Commission on the case and to comply with the obligation to guarantee truth and justice for the victims”.
- Click here to read the letter sent by the organizations.
