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October 30, 2014

Mexican President Meets with Parents of 43 Missing Students; Activists Highlight U.S. Role 
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Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has met with the parents of 43
students who have been missing from the state of Guerrero for more than
a month after a police ambush. Authorities suspect police turned the
students over to a local drug gang with close ties to the fugitive mayor
of Iguala and his wife, who are accused of ordering the attack. Another
mass grave has been found in the area, but the remains have not yet been
identified. Human rights activists are highlighting the U.S. role in
supporting corrupt police and military forces after it has poured an
estimated $3 billion into the so-called war on drugs in Mexico. Maria
Luisa Aguilar called for the United States to hold the forces that
receive the funds accountable.

Maria Luisa Aguilar, advocacy coordinator for Tlachinollan: "The problem
is the lack of accountability. What's happened with all that money that
was invested in the police, at the federal level, at the state level, at
the municipal level? After the training, after the substantial
investment in these security forces, who is making sure that there will
be accountability? That their work is lawful, within a framework that
respects human rights?"

In northern Mexico, four bodies have been found near the border city of
Matamoros. The remains could belong to three American siblings from
Texas who went missing from the area two weeks ago. They were reportedly
captured by armed men identified as members of a Matamoros police unit.

 

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