Ten years after 43 students were abducted in Mexico, their families are still seeking justice.
At a Glance
- The families of the 43 students marked the 10th anniversary of the incident last week.
- Thousands marched in Mexico City for truth and justice.
- The investigation has faced numerous setbacks, particularly regarding military cooperation.
- The upcoming presidency of Claudia Sheinbaum is seen as a pivotal moment.
A Decade of Pain and Protest
On September 26, 2014, 43 students from a rural teacher’s college in Ayotzinapa, southern Mexico, were abducted by a local drug gang in collusion with local, state, and federal authorities. Ten years later, the families of the missing students continue to fight for justice. They feel disillusioned from a decade of unfulfilled government promises and the stalling of investigations. Thousands marched in Mexico City recently to demand the truth and justice for their loved ones.
The case has prompted significant attention globally, with the United Nations Human Rights Office and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressing concerns over the stalled investigation. The students’ fate remains unknown, and they are among over 115,000 recorded missing in Mexico. A total of 120 people are in custody, and Mexico’s former attorney general has been charged with creating a false narrative around the case.
Thousands take the streets of Mexico City in solidarity with parents of 43 students forcibly disappeared 10 years ago. The parents have been lied to by the current gov't & the people of Mexico are standing with families searching for truth & justice for their missing children.❤️ pic.twitter.com/aFSuJMBwbe
— Voices in Movement (@VIM_Media) September 27, 2024
Government Promises and Setbacks
Initially, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration provided hope for the affected families. However, progress stalled, mainly due to the lack of military cooperation. López Obrador has reportedly downplayed findings linking the military to the incident, causing families to feel that the government is protecting the military at the expense of the truth. Joaquina García, mother of one of the missing students, stated, “He gave us a lot of hope, but it looks like he really protects the military and that’s not fair.”
Families plan to pressure incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum to address these issues. The upcoming inauguration is seen as a decisive moment for the case and the broader national disappearance crisis. Lourdes Silva, a homemaker, an activist, emphasized the need for persistent pressure: “We need to keep pressuring. We want this agony to end for the parents.”
Activism Amid Danger
Despite government inaction, the families’ activism has led to significant legal changes, like the approval of a General Law against disappearances and the creation of a national search commission system. Nonetheless, setbacks under López Obrador’s government include unreliable methodologies for recognizing disappeared persons and the failure to consolidate the National Forensic Data Bank.
Families have also conducted their own searches under risky conditions. Clemente Rodríguez, who has searched for his son Christian Rodríguez, remarked, “When I left the house, I never knew if I would come back alive.” Such efforts have disrupted their lives significantly, forcing them to abandon their previous livelihoods.
The Ayotzinapa case exemplifies a broader crisis of impunity and lack of transparency in Mexico. Strengthening search and identification institutions and protecting family searchers should be a priority for the new government. The families’ relentless fight continues to highlight the need for drastic measures to end the phenomenon of disappearances in Mexico.
Sources
- Families of 43 missing students in Mexico are still demanding justice 10 years later
- It’s been a decade since 43 students disappeared in Mexico. Their parents still fight for answers
