Following the disappearance and alleged murder of 43 students in Mexico, widespread protests have engulfed many Mexican cities. In late September, the students were abducted and presumably killed in the southern state of Guerrero. The local mayor ordered authorities to intercept their buses, and six students are presumed to have been shot and killed at the time.
Local Officials’ Treachery
According to the Mexican authorities, the local officials then handed over the remaining students to a local drug gang. Mexico’s attorney general later revealed that the remaining students had been killed and that “the members of this group incinerated the students at a landfill located near Cocula.” The whereabouts of the students’ bodies remain unknown.
In the process of looking for the students’ remains, five mass grave sites have been discovered, highlighting the grim reality that unsolved homicides are far too common in Mexico.
Violent Protests
In addition to international pressure to find the students’ corpses and punish those responsible for the atrocity President Enrique Pena Nieto is dealing with the rising social unrest and violent protests provoked by the loss of the students. Violent protests by students, the relatives of the missing students, and teachers have continued. According to BBC News, “The Mexican authorities have arrested at least 14 students in Mexico City after protests…. The protesters attacked the National Palace, burning the main door and painting slogans on the walls.”
Legal Uncertainty
If the case ever does go to trial, it is expected to be the most complex trial in Mexico’s modern history. The lack of progress in enacting criminal code reform will likely further complicate the situation. Despite its 2016 deadline, Guerrero is in only the initial stages of transitioning from a closed-door judicial process to a more transparent adversarial system.
Calls for the President’s Resignation
Even though Mexico’s attorney general announced the arrest of 72 people in connection with the incident, problems remain for the Mexican government. This crisis is evolving into the most serious test of President Peña Nieto’s administration to date. For almost two weeks, the president did not respond to press inquiries or make any public statements on the case. Many are calling for his resignation as confidence in the government continues to decline.
Lourdes Bautista is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please click here.
