The Stream

Mexico’s disappeared: Searching for the Ayotzinapa students

What stands in the way of solving the case of the 43 missing students?

On Tuesday, April 5 at 19:30 GMT:

More than 18 months have passed since 43 students from Ayotzinapa, a town in Mexico’s southern Guerrero state, went missing and the accounts of what happened in 2014 are still unclear. The news sparked international outrage, and to this day, families and activists regularly take to the streets demanding answers.

Since then, a panel of independent experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) have come out poking holes at the government’s investigation. The IACHR’s involvement brought hope to people living in a country where there have reportedly been more than 20,000 disappearance cases in the past decade. But recently, Mexico’s Deputy Interior Minister Roberto Campa announced that the IACHR would cease work by the end of April, prompting some to question what will become of the 43 missing students’ case. Campa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the investigation, emphasising his faith in the country’s institutions.

So on Tuesday, we’ll check in with those who have been following the case and ask what needs to be done to prevent this from being another buried ‘disappeared’ story.

Joining this conversation:

John Gibler
Independent Journalist

Jose Carreño
Foreign News Editor – Excelsior

Citlalli Hernandez @SerapazMexico
Human Rights Campaigner, Serapaz
serapaz.org.mx

Everard Meade @usdtbi
Director, Transborder Institute

What stands in the way of solving the case of the 43 missing Ayotzinapa students? Share your thoughts below.