HomeNewsBriefMexico Govt Accused of Hiding Evidence in Iguala Case
BRIEF

Mexico Govt Accused of Hiding Evidence in Iguala Case

AYOTZINAPA / 18 AUG 2015 BY MICHAEL LOHMULLER EN

A commission conducting an investigation into the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico has denounced the government for withholding evidence, accusations sure to fuel more distrust in a government already on its heels.

In a press conference on August 17, the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (known by its Spanish acronym GIEI) -- part of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights -- announced that during its investigations into the September 2014 disappearance of 43 student teachers in Iguala, Mexico, it found the Mexican government hid pertinent evidence.

According to the GIEI, Mexico’s Attorney General's Office withheld evidence found on two buses the students were riding the night they disappeared, including clothes belonging to the students. Additionally, the GIEI found that video footage of police detaining the students was possibly destroyed.

The GIEI also stated petitions to the government to interview 26 soldiers from the 27th Infantry Battalion -- who allegedly witnessed events in the case of the students’ disappearance -- have been repeatedly delayed. And while permission was granted on August 16, interviews can only be conducted via written questionnaires.

Members of the GIEI said they hope to extend their six-month investigation period -- which ends September 2 -- but will release a written report of their findings to date on September 6.

InSight Crime Analysis

The GIEI's press conference -- the first since it was formed -- is not a good sign for the Mexican government or the GIEI. Airing its grievances in public shows the group does not expect to get much more official cooperation.

The statements will also surely contribute to the crisis of confidence in the government of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, which has been devastated this past year by scandal and security setbacks, including the escape of famed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from a maximum security prison.

SEE ALSO: Mexico News and Profiles

Beginning almost immediately following the students’ disappearance, doubts have circulated surrounding the official version of events, which holds the students were abducted by police and handed over to a criminal group known as the Guerreros Unidos, who then murdered them and burned their bodies.

Despite attempts by the government to show transparency in its investigations, public skepticism abounds, with many perceiving the government as attempting to sidestep the case and cover-up involvement of local officials and security forces.

The GIEI shows no signs of adhering to the Mexican government's line, something that may make its job of unearthing the truth even more difficult.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

JALISCO CARTEL / 3 MAY 2023

New sanctions in a Puerto Vallarta timeshare fraud scam show how the CJNG exploits unsuspecting tourists as an alternate source…

BRAZIL / 15 JUN 2023

From Colima to Caracas, some parts of Latin America have stubbornly high homicide rates, far higher than the rest of…

GULF CARTEL / 15 MAR 2022

Mexican armed forces have captured the reported leader of the feared Northeast Cartel, but this arrest may only stoke further…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Contributes Expertise Across the Board 

22 SEP 2023

This week InSight Crime investigators Sara García and María Fernanda Ramírez led a discussion of the challenges posed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” plan within urban contexts. The…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in New Colombia Drug Policy Plan

15 SEP 2023

InSight Crime’s work on emerging coca cultivation in Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela was cited in the Colombian government’s…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Discusses Honduran Women's Prison Investigation

8 SEP 2023

Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on…

THE ORGANIZATION

Human Trafficking Investigation Published in Leading Mexican Newspaper

1 SEP 2023

Leading Mexican media outlet El Universal featured our most recent investigation, “The Geography of Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border,” on the front page of its August 30…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Coverage of Ecuador Leads International Debate

25 AUG 2023

This week, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime, was interviewed by La Sexta, a Spanish television channel, about the situation of extreme violence and insecurity in Ecuador…