Senate Democrat Calls on Mexico to Step Up Search for Missing Students Rafael Bernal - The Hill
go to original September 30, 2016

A top Senate Democrat appealed Thursday to the Mexican government to step up its investigation in the case of 43 missing students, a sign of growing concern over the broader issue of disappeared persons in Mexico's war on drugs.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement marking the second anniversary of the disappearance of the Mexican students in the southern state of Guerrero at the hands of local police and a criminal gang.

“Continued progress on this case is critical.  My staff has met directly with the families of the 43 students, and we cannot let their call for justice end in impunity,” said Cardin.

The Mexican federal government's reaction to the disappearances has come under harsh international criticism, especially given the obstacles it set for the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI), a group of international researchers brought in to investigate the crime.

Cardin said the GIEI had faced “repeated obstacles such as restricted access to key documents and individuals, and found significant inconsistencies in the Mexican government’s investigation, including incidents of mishandled evidence.”

Cardin said members of the Mexican military “were discovered to have been at the scene of the crime and closely involved in the fatal events of that night.”

Investigators have been prevented from conducting follow-up interviews with soldiers who allegedly witnessed the events and did nothing to stop them, according to the GIEI report.

Read the rest at The Hill

Related: Mexican Human Rights Commission Demands Justice on Two-Year Anniversary of Student Massacre (PanAm Post)

Photo: Greg Nash

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