Mexico: Demand Transparency in the Case of the 43 Missing Students

The search for what happened to the 43 students who went missing on September 26, 2014, is still underway. Their families, along with supporting groups, have repeatedly asked Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government to get 800 key documents from the Armed Forces. We call on the Mexican government to release all files related to the students’ disappearance. This will help the families learn the truth and ensure those at fault face justice.

Here’s what you can do:

Write to the President of Mexico urging him to:

• Ensure that every step is taken to guarantee that SEDENA hands over the 800 documents demanded by the families of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teacher Training College and their supporting organizations promptly.
• Guarantee that the international independent experts who were involved in the investigation be given access to review these documents as soon as they are released.

Ayotzinapa Case Investigations

On September 26, 2014, 43 students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teacher Training College in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico, vanished. The investigations, which resumed under the current government in 2018, led to the creation of the Commission for Truth and Access to Justice (CoVAJ) and the Special Investigation and Litigation Unit for the Ayotzinapa case (UEILCA). The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and its Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) have also been involved, supporting the investigation efforts.

Recent findings suggest the Armed Forces might have had a role in the students’ disappearance. Evidence indicates military intelligence infiltrated the college, monitored the students from their departure to their arrival in Iguala, and failed to intervene during the attacks. Despite these developments, critical documents from the military remain undisclosed.

Demand for Transparency and Accountability

Since July 2023, the victims’ families have been demanding the release of essential documents, confirmed to exist by the Undersecretary of Human Rights, Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez, who resigned in October 2023. The government’s refusal to release 800 key documents has led to the GIEI’s withdrawal from the investigation.

Amidst these challenges, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has criticized human rights organizations advising the victims’ families, undermining their efforts to seek justice. This situation underscores the urgent need for transparency and accountability in the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students.

Please take action as soon as possible until May 2, 2024! The UA will be duly updated should there be the need for further action.