Kidnapping Soaring as Ayotzinapa Protests Continue Over Abducted College Students Julia Glum - IBTimes
go to original July 16, 2015

Kidnappings in Mexico increased by nearly 30 percent in June as the country continued to see protests over the September disappearance of 43 teaching college students from Ayotzinapa. (Reuters)

Kidnapping incidents in Mexico increased by nearly 30 percent in June, adding to a growing problem that's hard to accurately measure, according to a Wednesday warning from the country's National Citizen Observatory. The civil security organization reported 178 abduction cases last month - a roughly 28 percent jump from the 138 cases in May, El Economista reported.

The six Mexican states with the most kidnapping cases in June were Tamaulipas, with 32; Guerrero and Tabasco, with 17 each; the Federal District, with 14; and Veracruz, with 13. President Enrique Peña Nieto's administration has seen more than 6,000 kidnappings overall since he took office in 2012, according to the organization.

National Citizen Observatory President Isabel Miranda de Wallace said at a news conference that calculating these totals was difficult because some kidnappings weren't reported and others were handled incorrectly, according to Cronica. Several states have legal loopholes that allow them to not investigate all cases and dole out weaker punishments. For example, some districts classify kidnappings as illegal deprivation of liberty cases, or holding someone against their will. This lesser offense carries a prison sentence of up to seven years, while suspects convicted for kidnapping receive prison sentences between 40 and 80 years, Azteca Noticias reported.

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