Mexico: New report on Ayotzinapa disappearances reveals government’s determination to sweep tragedy under the carpet

The report, by an independent group of experts (GIEI) appointed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, contradicts the official version of events and criticizes the Mexican government’s investigation to date.

It accuses the government of failing to follow up key lines of investigation, manipulating evidence, protecting officials suspected of involvement into the enforced disappearances and torturing alleged suspects to secure “confessions”. The experts were denied a request from the families to extend their mandate and continue with their investigation.

“There seems to be no limit to the Mexican government’s utter determination to sweep the Ayotzinapa tragedy under the carpet,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

“By refusing to follow up all possible lines of investigation, manipulating evidence, failing to protect and support the student’s relatives, rejecting the request to extent the GIEI’s mandate an even falling to attend today’s presentation, the Mexican authorities are sending the dangerous message that anyone can disappear in Mexico and nothing will be done about it.”

“The official response to the enforced disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students and the extrajudicial execution of three people is the tragic illustration of Enrique Peña Nieto’s approach to human rights: hide or ignore the facts and hope for accusations to go away. This is not only illegal but immoral and a slap on the face of the relatives who are still awaiting answers nearly two years on.”

On 26 September 2014, 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teaching school in Iguala were subjected to enforced disappearance in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero.

• The new Ayotzinapa generation: “It is as if we are a stone in the government’s shoe” (Feature, 12 November 2015)
• Mexico: Gross incompetence and inertia fuel disappearances epidemic (News/Report, 14 January 2016)