{"id":947,"date":"2023-09-25T22:14:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T02:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nine-years-after-43-mexican-students-vanished-parents-still-seek-answers\/25\/09\/2023\/"},"modified":"2023-09-25T22:14:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T02:14:35","slug":"nine-years-after-43-mexican-students-vanished-parents-still-seek-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nine-years-after-43-mexican-students-vanished-parents-still-seek-answers\/25\/09\/2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine years after 43 Mexican students vanished, parents still seek answers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Nine years after 43 students from a rural teacher\u2019s college in Mexico disappeared, their parents find themselves in an uphill battle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s complicated. You\u2019re looking for your son, and the government denies you justice,\u201d Antonio Tizapa, the father of one of the missing students, said in an interview. \u201cIf they don\u2019t want us to keep protesting in the streets, tell us where our children are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In July, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/latino\/mexico-authorities-complicit-case-43-missing-students-report-finds-rcna96242\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:panel of independent investigators presented evidence in its sixth and last report;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">panel of independent investigators presented evidence in its sixth and last report<\/a>\u00a0about the 43 missing students.\u00a0According to the multiyear investigation, Mexican security forces at the local, state and federal levels at the time \u201call collaborated to make them disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 1255px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader portrait\" style=\"padding-bottom:131%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/f8C7FB_0Ab7Sz4xdRbB7xg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0zMTM4\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/nbc_news_122\/819f96199ec58c7bd22dd1db95a960e3\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image: Antonio Tizapa (Claudia Torrens \/ AP file)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/eEvT4ceVfnUr8D96l.aUxw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyNTU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/nbc_news_122\/819f96199ec58c7bd22dd1db95a960e3\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/noscript><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile, the remains of only three students have been formally identified in the last nine years.<\/p>\n<p>On Sept. 26, 2014, Tizapa\u2019s 20-year-old son, Jorge Antonio, traveled with dozens of classmates from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers\u2019 College to the city of Iguala in the southwestern state of Guerrero.<\/p>\n<p>The students commandeered buses in Iguala, as they had done other times, to travel roughly 120 miles to Mexico City. They planned to march on the 46th anniversary of the Tlatelolco Massacre <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/01\/world\/americas\/mexico-tlatelolco-massacre.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:to honor hundreds of students whom Mexican police and military officials murdered;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">to honor hundreds of students whom Mexican police and military officials murdered<\/a> on Oct. 2, 1968. The students were taken away by local authorities and then disappeared. Their disappearances made international headlines.<\/p>\n<p>The government of President Enrique Pe\u00f1a Nieto at the time initially tried to close the case. It said that local authorities in collusion with a drug cartel arrested the students after they left the bus station and that, according to the testimony of multiple drug traffickers, they had been handed over to Guerreros Unidos, a cartel that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/latino\/fifth-anniversary-mexico-s-missing-43-students-families-still-seek-n1058806\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:murdered them and incinerated their bodies;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">murdered them and incinerated their bodies<\/a>\u00a0at the Cocula garbage dump.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>For more from NBC Latino,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/link.nbcnews.com\/join\/5cj\/nbc-latino-signup-page\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:sign up for our weekly newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \"><strong><em>sign up for our weekly newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But the investigative body of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights helped reopen the case by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/latino\/mexico-agrees-advisers-monitor-missing-students-investigation-n621591\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:exposing how authorities tortured suspects to get their testimony;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">exposing how authorities tortured suspects to get their testimony<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis allowed us to continue fighting for justice,\u201d Tizapa said.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, &#8220;we were given a video that showed what really happened at the Cocula garbage dump,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Tizapa referred to new evidence presented last year by the investigative body, the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts, which said the Mexican government at the time intentionally falsified information and withheld leads.\u00a0Among the evidence were drone photos and video that may have showed Mexican marines <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/\/nsarchive.gwu.edu\/news\/mexico-ayotzinapa\/2022-04-01\/mexican-military-archives-produce-new-revelations-ayotzinapa-case__;!!PIZeeW5wscynRQ!u3iFIL-pumDHgaw_b65gPl5Pz_0iS8WR9fd6Mc8L9Y0UI3EoFiph2t3EgTqDvqHyHFMMsfRSK9tAdu3GJ9axcQ$\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:staging the area where the students had been reported killed;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">staging the area where the students had been reported killed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/latino\/mexico-authorities-complicit-case-43-missing-students-report-finds-rcna96242\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:T;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">T<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/latino\/mexico-authorities-complicit-case-43-missing-students-report-finds-rcna96242\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:he panel's final report in July;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">he panel&#8217;s final report in July<\/a> said local, state and federal security forces did know about the students&#8217; abductions and were complicit in their disappearances.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back at one of Mexico\u2019s most notorious human rights cases, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YnVnD0z_aGw__;!!PIZeeW5wscynRQ!u3iFIL-pumDHgaw_b65gPl5Pz_0iS8WR9fd6Mc8L9Y0UI3EoFiph2t3EgTqDvqHyHFMMsfRSK9tAdu26R1hFJg$\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:member of the panel asked at the July news conference;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">member of the panel asked at the July news conference<\/a>: \u201cHow was it possible for it to happen in a small city with two battalions of about 600 men?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to the investigation, military commanders and members of two battalions had to have colluded with drug trafficking and organized crime. The panel also said that \u201cwithout a doubt\u201d police, state agents and other authorities were complicit.<\/p>\n<p>President Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador has said his administration plans to continue to investigate the case,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/mexico-sought-16-more-military-arrests-over-43-missing-students-president-says-2023-09-21\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:and he has pointed to the arrests of military officials and other people;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \"> and he has pointed to the arrests of military officials and other people<\/a>. The armed forces have denied having any information about the students&#8217; disappearances, Reuters reported last week.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators also said security forces had put the students under surveillance and stigmatized them as insurgents. The negative characterization also influenced the investigation after the disappearances, they said.<\/p>\n<p>The panel emphasized at the news conference that unlike with the allegations by the Mexican security forces, \u201cthere\u2019s not a single document that we have analyzed that indicates that the young people were colluding with drug trafficking. Not one.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Where are they? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For parents, the arrests and the recent findings are not enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Pe\u00f1a Nieto\u2019s government, they told us our sons were murdered and incinerated,\u201d Tizapa said. \u201cWith Obrador, the government tells us: \u2018Yes, they took our boys and murdered them. But we don\u2019t know where they are.\u2019 Both governments are telling us practically the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the progress that has been made, Tizapa and other families say they still need answers from the government, including the military.<\/p>\n<p>Mario Gonz\u00e1lez,\u00a0the father of another missing student, said in a phone interview Friday: \u201cWe met with the president of the republic to ask him to give us the missing information on the whereabouts of our children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, the president has empowered the military in Mexico a lot. And he remains stubborn, saying that the military has already handed over everything. So we are now here protesting in front of Mexico\u2019s military headquarters,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez said.<\/p>\n<p>Gonz\u00e1lez said the families need the support of the Mexican people to pressure the government to get answers from the military.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think what happened awakened the conscience of many people. And nine years later, we still feel the solidarity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>C\u00e9sar Manuel,\u00a0Gonz\u00e1lez\u2019s son, was a 20-year-old freshman at the teacher\u2019s college when he disappeared with classmates in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0said he believes the Ayotzinapa case can resonate with everyone, because the 43 students were just \u201cchamaquitos,\u201d or young people, who were looking for a better life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy son wanted to be a teacher. And I am proud of him. He isn\u2019t perfect. But the teacher\u2019s college gave him what he needed, what he wanted to be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0said such schools are often the only pathways available for rural students to secure their futures. And he described the attack on the 43 students as an attack on who they were \u2014 and their activism.<\/p>\n<p>This article was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/latino\/nine-years-43-mexican-students-vanished-parents-still-seek-answers-rcna117172\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:NBCNews.com;elm:context_link;itc:0\" class=\"link \">NBCNews.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/nine-years-43-mexican-students-014126728.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nine years after 43 students from a rural teacher&rsquo;s college in Mexico disappeared, their parents find themselves in an uphill battle. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nine-years-after-43-mexican-students-vanished-parents-still-seek-answers\/25\/09\/2023\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/947"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}