Mexico City, Mexico – On the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Mexico City to protest the impunity in the case, which was considered a state crime but has so far led to no arrests. high penalty. – security level officials are suspected to be involved.
They criticized President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who leaves office on Monday, for failing to fulfill a campaign promise to bring those responsible to justice.
In 2014, students from the college were traveling to the capital through the city of Iguala, Guerrero in southwestern Mexico, when their bus was allegedly stopped by local police. Investigators then say the students turned themselves over to a local drug gang, the Guerreros Unidos, as well as members of the Mexican military, who then tortured, killed and disposed of their bodies.
The disappearance and subsequent cover-up has left a painful mark on Mexico and has become emblematic of brutal state repression, human rights violations and impunity within the country. No high-level officials have been convicted of the crime, and last year, an international and independent investigative body accused the Mexican government of obstructing investigators.
Read more: Investigation into 43 missing Mexico students ends, commission accuses government of stonewalling
In Mexico City on September 26, thousands of protesters, including students, rights groups, activists and family members of the disappeared, descended on the Angel of Independence, one of the capital’s most famous monuments on the main street.
Students, collectives and supporters from all over the country occupied the streets of Mexico City. During the march, the demonstrators shouted in unison for the 43 students, shouting: “It was the state!”.
Holding aloft placards denouncing the mass disappearance, the protesters angrily and mournfully counted from 1 to 43, pausing to read the names of the 43 students.
Demonstrators marched along Avenida Reforma, through the heart of Mexico City, until they reached the Zócalo, the city’s main square, which also houses the presidential palace and other government buildings.
Usually a gathering place for families on Sunday, the atmosphere in the Zócalo was one of anxiety and anger. Drums beat in the background, students and activists shouted slogans demanding justice and denouncing President López Obrador for allegedly protecting military officers involved in crimes.
Official figures reported over 10,000 demonstrators at Thursday’s protest. It also appeared to this reporter that the city had set up barriers to make it more difficult for demonstrators to gather – including steel barricades erected around monuments, the presidential palace and government buildings.
The government also apparently made efforts to block access to the Zócalo for protesters, preventing possibly thousands of demonstrators from passing through.
The protests came just days before López Obrador left office on Monday, September 30. Although he leaves office as one of the country’s most popular presidents in recent history, his administration, which campaigned on promises to resolve the Ayotzinapa case, is leaving with that goal unfulfilled and criticism that he protected military officials in instead of solving crime.
The parents of the missing students have repeatedly demanded that the military hand over 800 documents related to the case, however, both the military and López Obrador have denied the existence of the documents and claim to have provided all related materials to investigators.
López Obrador has also sometimes spoken out against parents, accusing them of acting against his administration. In July, he issued a report trying to clear the army’s name in the matter. The parents rejected the document, which ultimately severed relations between them and the government, and accused López Obrador of lying and betraying their cause.
“Mr. President, let’s not be stupid; you know very well who took an active part in the cowardly attack against our children; it was the army, you know that, and unfortunately, it fell on the side of treason,” said the father of one of those who disappeared during the protests in Mexico City.
