Charges Dropped for Key Suspect in Disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa Students El Universal
go to original September 11, 2016

Brief explanation of the Ayotzinapa case (El Daily Post)

An appeals court in Mexico revoked organized crime charges against one of the key suspects in the disappearance of 43 college students two years ago, after the man claimed he was tortured by police and prosecution agents.

The court last month ordered a lower court judge to re-assess whether Sidronio Casarrubias should be tried on the charges, prosecutors said Wednesday. They said the judge was instructed to investigate the suspect's claim of being tortured.

Casarrubias is an alleged leader of the Guerreros Unidos gang, which the government alleges killed the students in September 2014 and incinerated the bodies.

Prosecutors said the ruling does not free Casarrubias, because he faces two other charges for weapons possession and drug trafficking.

But it does mark a second setback for the case put forward by prosecutors in the highest-profile criminal investigation in recent memory.

Last year, a court granted an injunction for 22 police officers arrested for allegedly turning the students over to the gang. The injunction ordered the judge overseeing the case to correct prosecutorial errors, including inconsistent testimony and scant evidence. If those can't be fixed, the case would be thrown out.

The case of the 43 teachers' college students is one of the most widely protested and troubling examples of human rights abuses in Mexico's recent history - one that has shaken faith in all levels of government.

Read the rest at El Universal

Related: Mexico Puts Federal Police Under Spotlight Over 43 Student Deaths (Reuters)

Related: Greater Clarity in Iguala's Case Demanded in Mexico (Prensa Latina)

Related: New Security Strategy Launched in Guerrero (Mexico News Daily)

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