On the night of September 26, 2014, students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers’ School (Escuela Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos) in Ayotzinapa, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, were attacked by local police while riding in buses in Iguala, another city in the state of Guerrero. In a series of attacks, police opened fire on the buses, killing 6 people, including 3 bystanders, and injuring many more. The tortured body of Julio César Mondragón was found in a street the following day. During the night’s succession of events, 43 students were forcibly disappeared. Various theories regarding their whereabouts have since emerged. On December 6, 2014, the Mexican government announced that the remains of one of the disappeared students, Alexander Mora Venancio, had been identified, however, the fate of 42 of the students remains unknown.
This case sparked a wave of massive protests in the country and worldwide. Along with the students’ families, Mexican human rights organizations, and other national and international actors, WOLA has expressed multiple concerns regarding the government’s handling of the case.
The Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts
On November 12, 2014, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) signed an agreement with the students’ families and representatives and the Mexican government to provide technical assistance for the case. As a result, the IACHR formed the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (Grupo Interdisciplinario de Expertos y Expertas Independientes, GIEI) who are tasked with assisting with the search for the students, the investigation into those responsible, the attention to the victims of the attack and their families, and the development of public policies regarding enforced disappearance.
Below is the information regarding the work of the Group of Experts:
- Press release: GIEI submits steps to follow up on their work on the Ayotzinapa investigation, May 1, 2016
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Press release: GIEI Analysis of San Juan River Scene and Zerón’s Explanations, Apr. 28, 2016
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Final report: Ayotzinapa Report 2: Advances and New Conclusions, Apr. 24, 2016
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Press release: Status of the new fire analysis of the Cocula trash dump, Apr. 6, 2016
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Press release: The PGR broke the agreement with the GIEI on the new study of Cocula dump, Apr. 1, 2016
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Press release: Progress and Challenges, Feb. 21, 2016
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Press release: Experts Present Initial Advances in the Second Phase of Their Mandate, Dec. 8, 2015
- Press release: Experts Outline Second Phase of Their Mandate and the Challenges Faced in Carrying it Out, Nov. 6, 2015
- Ayotzinapa Report: Investigation and Initial Conclusions, Sep. 6, 2015
- Fifth update, Aug. 17, 2015
- Fourth update, Jun. 29, 2015
- Third update, May 11, 2015
- Second update, Apr. 20, 2015
- First update, Mar. 19, 2015
- IACHR Agrees on Terms of Agreement on Technical Assistance to Mexico, Nov. 12, 2014
- Group of Experts’ webpage
WOLA resources on the Ayotzinapa case
- Zerón’s Resignation and Promotion: Mexican Government is Not Off the Hook for Obstructing Justice in the Ayotzinapa Case, Sep. 15, 2016
- Ayotzinapa Case: Negotiations between Mexico and the Inter-American Commission Continue, Jul. 13, 2016
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A Sad Day for Mexico: Reflection by WOLA Executive Director, Apr. 27, 2016
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Key Points from the Group of Experts’ Final Report, Apr. 27, 2016
- Experts Investigating Mexico’s Ayotzinapa Case Face a ‘Coordinated Defamation Campaign’, Feb. 5, 2016
- WOLA Update on Mexico’s Case of 43 Disappeared Students, Jan. 6, 2016
- Human Rights Organizations Express Support to Advance Investigation into 43 Disappeared Students in Mexico, Dec. 8, 2015
- Human Rights Organizations Support Extension of Experts’ Mandate to Investigate Mexico’s Ayotzinapa Case, Aug. 20, 2015
- Group of Experts on Mexico’s Ayotzinapa Case Release New Findings, Aug. 18, 2015
- The Mexican Government’s Failed Investigation into the 43 Students’ Enforced Disappearance: New Report by Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission Highlights Shortcomings, Jul. 29, 2015
- Six Months after Disappearance of 43 Students in Mexico, Citizens and International Community Still Seek Justice, Mar. 26, 2015
- Group of Technical Experts Arrive in Mexico to Investigate Case of Disappeared Students, Mar. 6, 2015
- Human Rights Organizations Welcome the Start of the Interdisciplinary Group of Experts for the Ayotzinapa Case, Feb. 27, 2015
- Too Early to Close the Ayotzinapa Case, Jan. 28, 2015
- Event Video: Human Rights in Mexico: Recent Abuses Highlight Persistent Challenges, Oct. 31, 2014
Letters and Statements from U.S. Congress
- U.S. Congress Expresses Concern for Mexico’s Human Rights Crisis and Sends Letter to Secretary Kerry, Aug. 10, 2016
- U.S. Senators Express Concern for Missing Students in Mexico, Nov. 26, 2014
Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team
Since October 5, 2014, the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense, EAAF) has accompanied the forensic investigation as an independent expert on behalf of the students’ families. A list of EAAF’s statements regarding its work on the Ayotzinapa investigation is available in Spanish below.
- Apr. 2, 2016 statement
- Forensic study of Cocula trash dump, Feb. 8, 2016
- Sep. 17, 2015 statement
- Feb. 7, 2015 statement
- Dec. 7, 2014 statement
- Nov. 24, 2014 statement
- Nov. 11, 2014 statement
- Oct. 24, 2014 statement
Mexico’s Attorney General’s office
On October 4, 2014, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) took on the Ayotzinapa case, and on January 27, 2015, presented its theory of the case, essentially closing its investigation.
- Video presentation of the PGR’s case theory, Jan. 27, 2015
Additional Resources:
- Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña “Tlachninollan”, a Mexican human rights organization accompanying the Ayoztinapa case
- Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez (Centro Pro), a Mexican human rights organization accompanying the Ayotzinapa case
- Centro Pro’s webpage dedicated to the Group of Experts
