Experts Reject Mexican Government's Account Of Missing Students
The 43 students were abducted in the city of Iguala last September.
Reuters
MEXICO CITY, Sept 6 (Reuters) ― Mexico’s official account of the abduction and apparent massacre of 43 students last year does not add up, a team of international experts said on Sunday, citing deep flaws in the government’s investigation and dismissing its claims that the victims were incinerated in a garbage dump.
The case provoked a global outcry after the missing students were abducted in the city of Iguala in southwest Mexico on Sept. 26, 2014.
The government’s failure to capture the killers or even persuade Mexicans that its investigation was serious has hit President Enrique Peña Nieto’s reputation, and the report on Sunday was certain to pile more pressure on.
Advertisement
Commissioned by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and conducted by respected investigators from Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Spain, the report blasts holes in the Mexican government’s central claim that the students were burned to ashes in the nearby town of Cocula.
“That event never took place,” one of the investigators, Carlos Beristain, told reporters on Sunday, citing evidence from the site. “There should be a refocusing of the investigation based on these facts.”
The parents of the victims cheered the report, and vowed not to let up on the government until their children are found, adding their faith is with the independent experts and they no longer trusted official investigators.
“We’ve had enough of the government’s crap,” Mario Cesar Gonzalez, the father of one of the missing students, said at a press conference. “We’re poor, but we’re not stupid.”
Advertisement
Mexico Attorney General Arely Gomez said she would seek a new probe to ascertain whether the missing students were in fact burned in the dump, adding that the government will extend the stay of the independent experts so they can keep investigating.
On Twitter, Peña Nieto thanked the IACHR for its report, and said the government would analyze the findings and incorporate them into its investigation.
“DAMNING INDICTMENT”
“This report provides an utterly damning indictment of Mexico’s handling of the worst human rights atrocity in recent memory,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas Director at Human Rights Watch. “Even with the world watching and with substantial resources at hand, the authorities proved unable or unwilling to conduct a serious investigation.”
So far, the remains of only one of the missing students has been identified.
Peña Nieto’s government says the students were abducted by corrupt local police, working in league with a local drug gang, who confused the students with members of a rival cartel.
Citing confessions of the alleged perpetrators, it says the police then handed them over to members of the local cartel, known as “Guerreros Unidos,” or “United Warriors,” who took them to the local dump and incinerated them.
Advertisement
But a Reuters report published this week showed the government probe was plagued by a litany of errors, and that key parts may need to be redone.
The IACHR experts were unable to determine what happened to the students, saying that much is still unknown, but they did suggest avenues for closer investigation.
For example, they flagged the fact that missing evidence includes a bus seen on security camera footage from the night of the attack. The students commandeered several buses that night and local police opened fire on them.
In their report, the experts suggested the missing bus may have been carrying a shipment of cash or drugs, citing the fact that prosecutors in Chicago found that the Guerreros Unidos cartel transports heroin from Iguala to the United States in secret bus compartments.
The issue should be investigated and may be the motive for the attack, the experts said.
In recent months, they have conducted dozens of interviews with detainees and witnesses, and examined the possible role of an army battalion located only a few blocks from where most of the students are believed to have been abducted.
Advertisement
The team was denied interviews, however, with 26 soldiers who had contact with the students that night.
Also on HuffPost:
Protests For The Missing Mexican Students
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.