Parents of the 43 missing Mexican students abducted in 2014 are demanding answers from President López Obrador and president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum. Claudia Sheinbaum, the first woman and person of Jewish heritage to be elected president of Mexico, has promised reform and justice, but the families want more accountability from the government.
The parents insist on access to 800 pages of military records they believe contain crucial information about the disappearance. Clemente Rodríguez, whose son Christian is one of the missing students, emphasizes the need for these records to uncover the truth.
The 43 students from a teacher’s college in Ayotzinapa were abducted on September 26, 2014, while traveling to a protest. The Mexican government initially claimed local authorities had colluded with drug traffickers to murder and incinerate the students, but independent investigators reopened the case, exposing torture-based testimonies.
In 2022, a government truth commission revealed that authorities at all levels were involved, colluding with the criminal group Guerreros Unidos and attempting to cover up the events. Despite these findings, only the remains of three students have been identified, leaving the rest missing.
The parents have asked outgoing President López Obrador to release military records that might reveal more about the incident, including the involvement of a soldier who infiltrated the students. They also seek information on the military’s role in the cover-up.
Omar García Harfuch, formerly the commissioner of federal police in Guerrero, was implicated in the cover-up but denied the allegations. He later served as Mexico City’s police chief during Sheinbaum’s tenure as mayor.
Former Attorney General Jesús Murrillo Karam was arrested in 2022 for allegedly covering up the massacre. Tomás Zerón, the former director of Mexico’s Criminal Investigation Agency, faces similar charges but has taken refuge in Israel.
The families are scheduled to meet with López Obrador on July 3, hoping to obtain answers before Sheinbaum takes office in October. They are prepared to continue their fight for justice if necessary.
“Our movement is about the fight for life,” said Mario González, father of one of the missing students. “Any parent would do the same thing that we are doing for their son or daughter.”
