It has been two years since the 43 students from Iguala were abducted and never heard from again. Marked as Mexico’s highest-profile human rights cases, prosecutors have yet to bring a single suspect to justice.
In a series of various incidents on Sept 26, 2014, police officers and unidentified gunmen attacked a group of students from Ayotzinapa Teachers College in Iguala. Six people died and forty-three students were never seen again.
According to WorldPost, the case has become a source of rallying against corruption, violence and impunity. It has single-handedly highlighted legal methods in Mexico’s legal system. The country is known for forcing confessions instead of doing complete police work when it comes to solving cases.
New York resident, Antonio Tizapa is currently going through the struggles of figuring out where his missing son is. Because of the country’s stance on justice, Tizapa shared his lack of faith of finding out exactly what happened on that fateful night.
“The government has tried to manipulate the investigation,” Tizapa told WorldPost. “ It’s an insult to parents and an insult to people of Mexico.”
Tizapa led a group of relatives and activists on a march in front of Mexico’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations on Monday, marking the kidnappings 2 year anniversary.
The news comes to no surprise, as the reputation of Latin American countries being able to apply justice for heinous crimes is little to none. The fact that the Mexican government has also mishandled evidence, has now weakened the case.
Although Tizapa has his views on Mexico’s work on the case, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has defended their handling of the case. A day after the two-year anniversary they made a statement speaking on their efforts calling it the “most transcendent, exhaustive criminal investigation.
According to the Pro Human Rights Center, Mexican authorities have arrested more than 100 people in connection with the missing students case to date. The alleged mastermind of the attacks, Jose Luis Abarca Velaquez, was the mayor of Iguala during the attacks and was publicly accused by former Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam of giving orders to attack the students.
After his arrest, Abarca was charged with a crime that is not connected to this case.
Alejandro Hope, a former Mexican Intelligence official, expected for prosecutors to secure some convictions but instead they have dropped the ball. He believes that the government will likely leave many questions unanswered.
“This is no longer a case, this is a cause,” Hope tells WorldPost. “ No matter what happens in the courts, it will not bring closure.”
Hopefully the families of the missing students will have answers soon.
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