Latin American Herald Tribune: The spokesman for the parents of 43 trainee teachers who went missing nearly a year ago in southern Mexico on Thursday called into question the latest positive identification of human remains by a laboratory in Austria, saying there is insufficient “certainty” that they are those of one of the students.
The extent of the genetic match between one of the burned samples that Mexican authorities say was found in a trash dump and the DNA of teacher trainee Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz’s mother is “very low,” said the spokesman, Felipe de la Cruz. Read more.
The MexicoBlog of the CIP Americas Program monitors and analyzes international press on Mexico with a focus on the US-backed War on Drugs in Mexico and the struggle in Mexico to strengthen the rule of law, justice and protection of human rights. Relevant political developments in both countries are also covered.
Showing posts with label Guerrero students. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guerrero students. Show all posts
Sep 19, 2015
Aug 12, 2015
Activist in search for missing students killed in Mexico
AP: Miguel Angel Jimenez, a political activist who played a prominent early role in the search for 43 students and other missing people in southern Mexico, was slain over the weekend, an associate said Monday.
The bullet-ridden body of Jimenez, a member of the Union of Towns and Organizations, or UPOEG for its initials in Spanish, was found in a car near a town where he had helped found a community police program. Read more.
The bullet-ridden body of Jimenez, a member of the Union of Towns and Organizations, or UPOEG for its initials in Spanish, was found in a car near a town where he had helped found a community police program. Read more.
Feb 7, 2015
Mexico Police Launch Manhunt for Owner of Crematorium
TeleSur: The Guerrero State Attorney General’s office officially confirmed that 60 bodies were found late Thursday evening in an abandoned crematorium in the Llano Largo neighborhood of the Mexican beach resort city of Acapulco.
Officials revised earlier reports that 61 or more corpses were recovered at the site. Read more.
Officials revised earlier reports that 61 or more corpses were recovered at the site. Read more.
Feb 2, 2015
Mexico Tortured Police For Confessions In 43 Students Case: Report
Huffington Post: An investigative report published Sunday by the Mexican magazine Proceso accuses Mexican authorities of beating and torturing municipal police officers in an effort to force confessions in the case of the missing 43 students whose disappearances have led to mass protests across the country.
Based on documents obtained from Mexico’s office of the attorney general and interviews with the police officers’ families, the article, by journalists Anabel Hernández and Steve Fisher, casts doubts on the state's official explanation for what happened to the missing students, and suggests that the use of torture may have compromised the prosecution. Read more.
Based on documents obtained from Mexico’s office of the attorney general and interviews with the police officers’ families, the article, by journalists Anabel Hernández and Steve Fisher, casts doubts on the state's official explanation for what happened to the missing students, and suggests that the use of torture may have compromised the prosecution. Read more.
Jan 9, 2015
More mass graves found in Mexico’s state of Guerrero
NOTE: This explanatory video actually describes more the night of the Ayotzinapa attacks than the recent discovery of more bodies. It incorporates the information provided by the Hernández/Fisher report. Remember that there is still no physical evidence of the delivery of the bodies to Guerreros Unidos. Not that it didn't happen, just to be sure to continue to separate what is known from what is speculated. There are confessions from members of the cartel but several of these were obtained under torture according to complaints filed and the word of the arrested cartel members should be considered as suspect until confirmed by outside sources. LC
Watch Reuters video
Watch Reuters video
Dec 14, 2014
Families of Missing Students Claim Harassment by Mexican Authorities
Latin American Herald Tribune: Families of the 43 students who went missing more than two months ago in southern Mexico have claimed the government is harassing organizations supporting them in their quest for justice.
At a press conference Thursday, the families blamed the authorities for this week’s attempted kidnapping and beating of a student who was also threatened for taking part in protests demanding that the missing students be returned alive. Read more.
At a press conference Thursday, the families blamed the authorities for this week’s attempted kidnapping and beating of a student who was also threatened for taking part in protests demanding that the missing students be returned alive. Read more.
A Growing Political Insurgency due to Deaths and Disappearances in Mexico
Frontera NorteSur: In a little more than two months, the movement for justice for the murdered and disappeared students of the Ayotzinapa rural teaching college in Mexico has transformed from protest into a growing political insurgency.
In some regions of Guerrero state, where the students were attacked by police last September 26, the residents are forming citizen assemblies with an eye toward replacing local administrations they accuse of corruption and collusion with organized crime. while, in turn, laying the groundwork for new forms of governance without the country’s political parties. Read more.
In some regions of Guerrero state, where the students were attacked by police last September 26, the residents are forming citizen assemblies with an eye toward replacing local administrations they accuse of corruption and collusion with organized crime. while, in turn, laying the groundwork for new forms of governance without the country’s political parties. Read more.
Dec 11, 2014
Mexico's Civic Insurgency
Frontera NorteSur: Editor’s Note: Our continuing coverage of the crisis in Mexico sparked by the government killings and disappearances of students and civilians in Iguala, Guerrero, last September.
In a little more than two months, the movement for justice for the murdered and disappeared students of the Ayotizinapa rural teaching college in Mexico has transformed from protest into a growing political insurgency.
In some regions of Guerrero state, where the students were attacked by police last September 26, the residents are forming citizen assemblies with an eye toward replacing local administrations they accuse of corruption and collusion with organized crime while, in turn, laying the groundwork for new forms of governance without the country’s political parties.
Dec 8, 2014
Mexico says evidence proves missing students were burned up
Reuters: "This scientific proof confirms that the remains found at the scene coincide with the evidence of the investigation," Murillo said. "We will continue with the probe until all the guilty have been arrested."Attorney General Jesus Murillo told reporters that one of the students had been identified by experts in Austria from a bone fragment in a bag of ash and bits of burned tire found in a river where drug gang members said they tossed the students remains.
President Enrique Pena Nieto is facing his deepest crisis over his government's handling of the probe. The case laid bare Mexico's deep problem of impunity and corruption and it has overshadowed Pena Nieto's efforts to focus on economic reforms. Read more.
President Enrique Pena Nieto is facing his deepest crisis over his government's handling of the probe. The case laid bare Mexico's deep problem of impunity and corruption and it has overshadowed Pena Nieto's efforts to focus on economic reforms. Read more.
Nov 26, 2014
The untold story of Ayotzinapa and Rural Normal
Forbes Mexico: "Most of our rural communities offers, among numerous shortcomings, the almost total disorganization, which places them in the broader underdevelopment. Their economic, social and cultural levels are barely noticeable. Many lack of arable land, water and other communications in almost all. The causes are scattered, "said Raúl Isidro Burgos generation students 1964-1970 Normal Teachers Ayotzinapa an afternoon of August 1970.
The reality portrayed academic, which gives its name to the Rural Normal of Guerrero, closely resembles the conditions that still prevail in most of the country. More than 46% of the Mexican population lives in poverty, while 11% live in extreme poverty, according to the latest data from the National Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval). Read more.
The reality portrayed academic, which gives its name to the Rural Normal of Guerrero, closely resembles the conditions that still prevail in most of the country. More than 46% of the Mexican population lives in poverty, while 11% live in extreme poverty, according to the latest data from the National Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval). Read more.
Organized crime has overrun Guerrero
Milenio (Translation by Mexico News Daily): Iguala has brought out many truths about Mexico, some of them ugly, many of them previously known. But it is only now that the extent of the infiltration of organized crime is being revealed: federal intelligence efforts carried out since Iguala indicate that cartels have a presence in 62 of the state’s 81 municipalities.
The Milenio news service reported this morning that the state has balkanized into a mosaic of criminal organizations: it’s a toxic mix of five of the country’s major cartels plus local bands and guerilla movements.
The state’s official spokesman said 11 municipalities had been infiltrated, while former Gov. Angel Aguirre said criminals had penetrated most of the state’s municipal police. Then last week it was revealed that 12 municipal mayors were suspected of organized crime links.The killings and kidnappings in Iguala on September 26 have provided evidence of how closely linked the state can become with criminal groups, of the depth of collusion that can exist between the two. Not long after the horrors of that long night in Iguala, there were hints that the cancer was widespread. Read more.
Nov 10, 2014
Outrage as Mexico's Attorney General Says Missing Ayotzinapa Students Are Dead
Global Voices: Shot, burned in a garbage dump and thrown into a muddy river in black plastic bags. That was the fate of the 43 missing student teachers, known as normalistas in Spanish, who vanished on September 26, 2014, according to Mexico's federal attorney general on November 7.
Jesus Murillo Karam‘s words were met with disbelief, anger and indignation not only by the students’ families, but also by people throughout Mexico and the world because they rely on the confessions of three drug cartel hit men, not conclusive evidence — human remains discovered near a landfill based on their information haven't been identified yet. Read more.
Jesus Murillo Karam‘s words were met with disbelief, anger and indignation not only by the students’ families, but also by people throughout Mexico and the world because they rely on the confessions of three drug cartel hit men, not conclusive evidence — human remains discovered near a landfill based on their information haven't been identified yet. Read more.
Oct 30, 2014
Enough! Mexico Is Ready to Explode
Huffington Post: Mexico has been profoundly shaken by atrocities and high-level corruption in Guerrero. The earthquake's epicenter is Iguala, the state's third largest city.
Fifty thousand marchers thronged Mexico City's main avenues last Wednesday, and demonstrations took place all over the country. More than 80 delegates to the Inter-University Assembly have called for a nationwide halt to all educational activities on Nov. 5, and are asking other social groups to join them. Protesters set fire to state headquarters in Chilpancingo, Guerrero's capital, and are sacking supermarkets and shopping centers. Read more.
Fifty thousand marchers thronged Mexico City's main avenues last Wednesday, and demonstrations took place all over the country. More than 80 delegates to the Inter-University Assembly have called for a nationwide halt to all educational activities on Nov. 5, and are asking other social groups to join them. Protesters set fire to state headquarters in Chilpancingo, Guerrero's capital, and are sacking supermarkets and shopping centers. Read more.
Behind Mexico’s latest massacre: Authorities were warned but didn’t listen
The Hill: The U.S. government-funded Merida Initiative was supposed to bolster Mexican government efforts to promote the rule of law and human rights. The accountability failures exposed by the Iguala atrocity suggest that it’s time to take a closer look, to ensure that U.S. taxpayer money is part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
Yet so far, Mexico’s government has long treated Guerrero’s civil society as a threat rather than as a partner – jailing its leaders – like Nestora Salgado, a migrant who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in the state of Washington. She returned to her hometown of Olinala to lead the community police, taking on rapists and murderers. Her “crime” was to challenge her local government’s collaboration with organized crime, naming names. She remains in federal prison even though a court dismissed the charges – and her daughter has recently received death threats. Read more.
Yet so far, Mexico’s government has long treated Guerrero’s civil society as a threat rather than as a partner – jailing its leaders – like Nestora Salgado, a migrant who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in the state of Washington. She returned to her hometown of Olinala to lead the community police, taking on rapists and murderers. Her “crime” was to challenge her local government’s collaboration with organized crime, naming names. She remains in federal prison even though a court dismissed the charges – and her daughter has recently received death threats. Read more.
Mar 22, 2012
Former Guerrero prosecutor charged in Ayotzinapa case
Original translation
CNN Mexico: "The former prosecutor in Guerrero, Alberto López Rosas, has been charged for allegedly obstructing the investigation of a confrontation between student teachers and authorities that resulted in the death of two young men.
The Attorney General (PGR) presented evidence against the official “for diverting from, obstructing, and concealing the investigation,” charges which could come with a sentence of up to 13 years in prison, the office said in a press release.
According to PGR investigations released in February, it was concluded that the crime scene was tampered with, some evidence disappeared, and local police fired on the students. López Rosas was the head of the state attorney’s office at the time.
This past December 12, Jorge Alexis Herrera Pino, 22 years old, and Gabriel Echeverría de Jesús, 21, died from gunshot wounds during a clash between students and security forces. The students of the Ayotzinapa Normal School blocked a tollbooth on the Sol Highway in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, demanding reforms in the institution. In the disorder, the two youths were shot and a gas station was burned down.
A week following the protest, López Rosas presented a video and accused the Federal Police of having shot into the crowd, maintaining that by the time the local police had arrived, the two students were already dead.
At this point, six arrest warrants have been issued for officials accused of obstruction of justice. They have all been released on bail.
In February, a Mexican judge issued arrest warrants for nine current and former civil servants in the Guerrero Attorney General’s Office." Spanish original
Translation: Michael Kane, Center for International Policy intern
CNN Mexico: "The former prosecutor in Guerrero, Alberto López Rosas, has been charged for allegedly obstructing the investigation of a confrontation between student teachers and authorities that resulted in the death of two young men.
The Attorney General (PGR) presented evidence against the official “for diverting from, obstructing, and concealing the investigation,” charges which could come with a sentence of up to 13 years in prison, the office said in a press release.
According to PGR investigations released in February, it was concluded that the crime scene was tampered with, some evidence disappeared, and local police fired on the students. López Rosas was the head of the state attorney’s office at the time.
This past December 12, Jorge Alexis Herrera Pino, 22 years old, and Gabriel Echeverría de Jesús, 21, died from gunshot wounds during a clash between students and security forces. The students of the Ayotzinapa Normal School blocked a tollbooth on the Sol Highway in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, demanding reforms in the institution. In the disorder, the two youths were shot and a gas station was burned down.
A week following the protest, López Rosas presented a video and accused the Federal Police of having shot into the crowd, maintaining that by the time the local police had arrived, the two students were already dead.
At this point, six arrest warrants have been issued for officials accused of obstruction of justice. They have all been released on bail.
In February, a Mexican judge issued arrest warrants for nine current and former civil servants in the Guerrero Attorney General’s Office." Spanish original
Translation: Michael Kane, Center for International Policy intern
Mar 13, 2012
Rule of Law: Five Government Officials Indicted in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero Students Case
Those arrested are accused of altering the scene where two students from the Rural Normal school died on December 12th, 2011.
The list of government officials from the PGJ implicated in the indictment by the First Judicial District, based in Chilpancingo, is being prosecuted by the Assistant Attorney General of Human Rights, Cesar de los Santos Mendoza.
The accused are the ex-Director of Preliminary Investigations, Jose Veles Zapata, the Regional Attorney General, María Severiana Peña Flores, and two agents of the District Attorney’s Office, Gloria Rocío Méndez Cruz and Magdalena de Jesús Cruz.
They are accused of altering the scene where two students were shot and killed in the middle of the day in Ayotzinapa, of allowing 23 students who were blocking the Mexico City-Acapulco federal highway to escape, and of manipulating evidence related to the events.
Last night, El Milenio was able establish brief communication with the case’s prosecutor, Cesar de los Santos Mendoza, who said that he was in a work meeting and would return the call later.
It was confirmed that a several days ago De los Santos Mendoza filed for an amparo (a legal protection) in order to address the investigation that the Federal Attorney General’s Office (PGR) has initiated against him.
Other members of the PGJ implicated in the case have done the same. This morning the ex-Attorney General Alberto Lopez Rosas posted a comment on his Facebook account in which he thanked sympathizers for their displays of support.
This written quote appears on the Facebook wall of the ex-Guerrero District Attorney:
“I am convinced that the truth always comes out and that in the public life, history absolves or condemns more than the legal and justice system. I will always leave the judgment of my conduct and my way of being to society, because, rest assured, time is like the river’s water, by its strength, everything will be clear.” Spanish original
They are accused of altering the scene where two students were shot and killed in the middle of the day in Ayotzinapa, of allowing 23 students who were blocking the Mexico City-Acapulco federal highway to escape, and of manipulating evidence related to the events.
Last night, El Milenio was able establish brief communication with the case’s prosecutor, Cesar de los Santos Mendoza, who said that he was in a work meeting and would return the call later.
It was confirmed that a several days ago De los Santos Mendoza filed for an amparo (a legal protection) in order to address the investigation that the Federal Attorney General’s Office (PGR) has initiated against him.
Other members of the PGJ implicated in the case have done the same. This morning the ex-Attorney General Alberto Lopez Rosas posted a comment on his Facebook account in which he thanked sympathizers for their displays of support.
This written quote appears on the Facebook wall of the ex-Guerrero District Attorney:
“I am convinced that the truth always comes out and that in the public life, history absolves or condemns more than the legal and justice system. I will always leave the judgment of my conduct and my way of being to society, because, rest assured, time is like the river’s water, by its strength, everything will be clear.” Spanish original
Feb 11, 2012
Human Rights Violations - Guerrero Students: Students call return to classes "a farce"
The latest on events at the Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero. While teachers ostensibly returned on Thursday, the students report that it was "a farce." The conflict between the teachers and the students over the appointment of a new director continues. See our summary of events to this point.
La Jornada: "According to the student leader, Pablo Juarez Cruz, only 15 of 55 teachers were present on Thursday to work at the Normal School of Ayotzinapa, and the rest did not attend, saying they would be holding a union meeting. He said that "the few teachers who were in classes were there for only 20 minutes and immediately left, and they gave us the task (one for third graders) to read page 11 of the geography book and summarize it."
At a press conference, accompanied by other members of the student leadership, Pablo Juarez said the workforce of Ayotzinapa is 55 professors and over 110 administrative staff for cooking and cleaning, among other tasks. "Today was a farce, a partial start of classes. We were waiting from early in the morning for the teachers."
"We will mobilize again if the governor (Angel Aguirre Rivero) does not provide the resources for the dining room, where staff did not show up. It was our parents who are preparing food with products that we have recieved from groups supporting us for the three months since the Secretary of Education in Guerrero, Silvia Romero Suarez, ordered a hold on dining resources," he added.
He also announced, "The students have told the governor that the demonstrations will begin again, we have been flexible but the teachers of section 14 of the National Union of Educational Workers has taken advantage of the situation.The conflict is not resolved."
He also accused the Secretary of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education in Guerrero (SEG), Marcial Rodriguez Saldana, of assuming to be an intermediary and "issung irresponsible statements on Thursday about the alleged culmination of the conflict. For us the only intermediary we recognize is the Civil Committee of Mediation, composed of leading academics and intellectuals led by anthropologist Gilberto Lopez y Rivas, who are intervening to talk to the state government."
Regarding teachers' insistence that Eugenio Hernandez Garcia is director of the Normal Ayotzinapa, Juarez Cruz said, "we tell the teachers and the governor that we will not accept the imposition of Eugene as a director, since he was the cause of the demonstration on December 12, and he is therefore responsible for the deaths of our colleagues, Gabriel Echeverria de Jesus and Jorge Alexis Herrera Campos.
"Teachers threatened us, saying that if the state Ministry of Education does not ratify Eugenio Hernandez as director, then they will leave the classroom, because the teachers do not recognize Humberto Santos, who was presented yesterday by officials of the state Minitstry as director," he made clear.
In addition, he confirmed that with regard to the educational aspects of the conflict, "we will raise our demands directly to the governor, through the Civil Committee of Mediation, because it is not viable for us to sit down with a repressive government, which would mean giving up our central demand that there is justice for the extrajudicial executions of our colleagues, we demand an immediate response to our complaint.
In Acapulco, Aguirre Rivero said he was ready to meet with the Civil Committee of Mediation, who are acting as intermediaries between him and the normal school, to follow up on the Ayotzinapa conflict, .
Regarding the appointment of Humberto Santos as director of the normal, Angel Aguirre believes that he processes a good resume. "As far as I have information, the students have welcomed him; in a way, they suggested him." He stressed that "we must come to an agreement so that the new director, if he also agreeds, may have all the powers and institutional supports needed." Spanish original
La Jornada: "According to the student leader, Pablo Juarez Cruz, only 15 of 55 teachers were present on Thursday to work at the Normal School of Ayotzinapa, and the rest did not attend, saying they would be holding a union meeting. He said that "the few teachers who were in classes were there for only 20 minutes and immediately left, and they gave us the task (one for third graders) to read page 11 of the geography book and summarize it."
At a press conference, accompanied by other members of the student leadership, Pablo Juarez said the workforce of Ayotzinapa is 55 professors and over 110 administrative staff for cooking and cleaning, among other tasks. "Today was a farce, a partial start of classes. We were waiting from early in the morning for the teachers."
"We will mobilize again if the governor (Angel Aguirre Rivero) does not provide the resources for the dining room, where staff did not show up. It was our parents who are preparing food with products that we have recieved from groups supporting us for the three months since the Secretary of Education in Guerrero, Silvia Romero Suarez, ordered a hold on dining resources," he added.
He also announced, "The students have told the governor that the demonstrations will begin again, we have been flexible but the teachers of section 14 of the National Union of Educational Workers has taken advantage of the situation.The conflict is not resolved."
He also accused the Secretary of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education in Guerrero (SEG), Marcial Rodriguez Saldana, of assuming to be an intermediary and "issung irresponsible statements on Thursday about the alleged culmination of the conflict. For us the only intermediary we recognize is the Civil Committee of Mediation, composed of leading academics and intellectuals led by anthropologist Gilberto Lopez y Rivas, who are intervening to talk to the state government."
Regarding teachers' insistence that Eugenio Hernandez Garcia is director of the Normal Ayotzinapa, Juarez Cruz said, "we tell the teachers and the governor that we will not accept the imposition of Eugene as a director, since he was the cause of the demonstration on December 12, and he is therefore responsible for the deaths of our colleagues, Gabriel Echeverria de Jesus and Jorge Alexis Herrera Campos.
"Teachers threatened us, saying that if the state Ministry of Education does not ratify Eugenio Hernandez as director, then they will leave the classroom, because the teachers do not recognize Humberto Santos, who was presented yesterday by officials of the state Minitstry as director," he made clear.
In addition, he confirmed that with regard to the educational aspects of the conflict, "we will raise our demands directly to the governor, through the Civil Committee of Mediation, because it is not viable for us to sit down with a repressive government, which would mean giving up our central demand that there is justice for the extrajudicial executions of our colleagues, we demand an immediate response to our complaint.
In Acapulco, Aguirre Rivero said he was ready to meet with the Civil Committee of Mediation, who are acting as intermediaries between him and the normal school, to follow up on the Ayotzinapa conflict, .
Regarding the appointment of Humberto Santos as director of the normal, Angel Aguirre believes that he processes a good resume. "As far as I have information, the students have welcomed him; in a way, they suggested him." He stressed that "we must come to an agreement so that the new director, if he also agreeds, may have all the powers and institutional supports needed." Spanish original
Feb 9, 2012
Rule of Law and the Guerrero Students: Classes resume at the Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa, Guerrero.2
We have been closely following developments in the conflict between students of the Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero and the state and federal governments, which has continued over the past two months. We see the playing out of this conflict as a critical example of whether or not Mexican governmental leaders and citizens can develop truly democratic processes that function according to the rule of law.
The rule of law means appropriate operation by local, state and federal police that respects human safety and rights, and proper functioning of state and federal prosecutors (attorneys general), courts, governors and other holders of government positions. It also means the development by citizens of means to protest and attain redress of grievances by peaceful means, and meaningful, productive negotiation between government powers and those citizens. The conflict in Guerrero contains all of these elements.
MexicoBlog summary of the story:
On December 12, two students, Gabriel Echeverria and Alexis Jorge Herrera, were shot and killed by police forces breaking up a student blockade of the federal Highway of the Sun in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, in the mountainous center of the state. The highway connects Acapulco with Mexico City. A gasoline station attendant subsequently died from burns he suffered when he stopped a fire that could have led to an explosion. Both state and federal police were present at the demonstration and armed.
The student blockade was one of a series of actions by the students of the normal school to demand a number of changes at the school, including improvements of the faciltities and changes in admissions standards. The governor of the state, Angel Aguirre Heladio, had met some of their demands for improvements. However, a central demand was their rejection of a newly appointed director of the school on the grounds that--as an engineer and not an educator--he was unqualified. At this point, the story is not clear. Apparently, the teachers at the school wanted one of their own to be appointed, and it may be that the students objected to this. In any case, a stalemate developed between the teachers and students.
This led to the teachers walking out of the school in early November 2011. The teachers claimed that the students threatened them and prevented their safe return. They continued to receive their salaries, as well as the traditional Christmas bonus of one-month's salary. The students claimed the teachers had abandoned them and the school. They began their demonstrations. Up until the December 12 highway blockade, apparently nothing was done by the state government to resolve the issue of the school director or to enable the return of the teachers to the school. The students remained without classes.
Immediately after the slaying of the two students, state officials claimed some of the students were armed, but counter charges were immediately made that police had tortured a student to get him to confess this. The governor fired his chief of police and attorney general, who oversees a second, invesitgative police force who were present at the demonstration. Accusations flew between state and federal authorities as to which police had fired the shots. Every national political figure called for investigations. The federal Attorney General's Office began one. The National Human Rights Commission began another. The Congress created a committee to monitor the investigations. The students began demanding the impeachment of the governor for being responsible for the state police shooting their comrades.
In Guerrero, the fired state attorney general held press conferences at which he presented ostensible evidence that it was federal police who fired. Business and political groups in Guerrero supporting the governor held a large demonstration, but the governor told them, in so many words, to "cool it." A national dissident teachers group organized demonstrations in support of the students. (The national teachers union is a huge power and source of politcal conflict). The students commandeered busses--a standard tactic of the normal students--and held a caravan to Mexico City, where they met with members of Congress and the Interior Ministry.
On January 9, the National Human Rights Commission issued a preliminary report in which they stated that it was clear that both federal and state police had fired "indiscriminately" at the students, not followed protocols for breaking up demonstrations and had altered the scene afterward to remove evidence. A week later, two state ministerial police, the investigative police under the attorney general's command, were charged by the new state attorney general with the murder of the students. They protested that they were "scapegoats," as no federal police were charged. The federal Attorney General issued a report that its review of the evidence indicated that it was state police who shot the students and it turned the case over to the state.
Meanwhile, the students continued without classes. Both they and state officials spoke of the possibililty that they could lose their entire year of studies and that the school would be closed. A professor at the Autonomous University of Guerrero then organized a group of professors from that college and others to voluntarily provide the students with instruction and thus stave off such outcomes.
After much back and forth with the state and the students, the state Department of Education announced that the school's own teachers would return at the beginning of the new semester, Tuesday, Feb. 7. Also, the director whose appointment had been so contentious was being replaced by an acting director who was a well-known and respected professor at another university. The students and their parents announced that they would clean the school and be prepared to have the teachers return that day.
On Tuesday, the teachers came, not at 8 AM but at 10, accompanied by the deputy director of the state education department. The professor from the Autonomous University was also present to mediate if need be. The students were evidently in their classrooms, waiting. The teachers went to the auditorium instead, saying that they feared for their safety. They told the professor from the Autonomous University to leave, saying that he was intruding on their authority.
A long consultation then occurred between the student leaders and the teachers as to how the time lost in education would be made up and whether each side would respect the rights and safety of the other. The day ended without agreement but saying the discussion would continue on Wednesday.
Yesterday, Wednesday, agreement was reached on making up lost time by extending classes into July. Today, the teachers and students returned to class for the first time in three months.
Classes Resume at Rural Normal School
Milenio: "Beginning at 08:00 A.M. today, Thursday, Feb. 9, classes resumed in the Normal Rural School in Ayotzinapa. Marcial Rodriguez Saldaña, Assistant Secretary of Education of Guerrero, went himself to the school to verify the resumption of work in the classroom. "Today is a very important day," the official said after touring the school and confirming that teachers and students had begun classes. Meanwhile the governor, Angel Aguirre Rivero, expressed his willingness to talk with the students at the time and place that the students indicate." Spanish original
The rule of law means appropriate operation by local, state and federal police that respects human safety and rights, and proper functioning of state and federal prosecutors (attorneys general), courts, governors and other holders of government positions. It also means the development by citizens of means to protest and attain redress of grievances by peaceful means, and meaningful, productive negotiation between government powers and those citizens. The conflict in Guerrero contains all of these elements.
MexicoBlog summary of the story:
On December 12, two students, Gabriel Echeverria and Alexis Jorge Herrera, were shot and killed by police forces breaking up a student blockade of the federal Highway of the Sun in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, in the mountainous center of the state. The highway connects Acapulco with Mexico City. A gasoline station attendant subsequently died from burns he suffered when he stopped a fire that could have led to an explosion. Both state and federal police were present at the demonstration and armed.
The student blockade was one of a series of actions by the students of the normal school to demand a number of changes at the school, including improvements of the faciltities and changes in admissions standards. The governor of the state, Angel Aguirre Heladio, had met some of their demands for improvements. However, a central demand was their rejection of a newly appointed director of the school on the grounds that--as an engineer and not an educator--he was unqualified. At this point, the story is not clear. Apparently, the teachers at the school wanted one of their own to be appointed, and it may be that the students objected to this. In any case, a stalemate developed between the teachers and students.
This led to the teachers walking out of the school in early November 2011. The teachers claimed that the students threatened them and prevented their safe return. They continued to receive their salaries, as well as the traditional Christmas bonus of one-month's salary. The students claimed the teachers had abandoned them and the school. They began their demonstrations. Up until the December 12 highway blockade, apparently nothing was done by the state government to resolve the issue of the school director or to enable the return of the teachers to the school. The students remained without classes.
Immediately after the slaying of the two students, state officials claimed some of the students were armed, but counter charges were immediately made that police had tortured a student to get him to confess this. The governor fired his chief of police and attorney general, who oversees a second, invesitgative police force who were present at the demonstration. Accusations flew between state and federal authorities as to which police had fired the shots. Every national political figure called for investigations. The federal Attorney General's Office began one. The National Human Rights Commission began another. The Congress created a committee to monitor the investigations. The students began demanding the impeachment of the governor for being responsible for the state police shooting their comrades.
In Guerrero, the fired state attorney general held press conferences at which he presented ostensible evidence that it was federal police who fired. Business and political groups in Guerrero supporting the governor held a large demonstration, but the governor told them, in so many words, to "cool it." A national dissident teachers group organized demonstrations in support of the students. (The national teachers union is a huge power and source of politcal conflict). The students commandeered busses--a standard tactic of the normal students--and held a caravan to Mexico City, where they met with members of Congress and the Interior Ministry.
On January 9, the National Human Rights Commission issued a preliminary report in which they stated that it was clear that both federal and state police had fired "indiscriminately" at the students, not followed protocols for breaking up demonstrations and had altered the scene afterward to remove evidence. A week later, two state ministerial police, the investigative police under the attorney general's command, were charged by the new state attorney general with the murder of the students. They protested that they were "scapegoats," as no federal police were charged. The federal Attorney General issued a report that its review of the evidence indicated that it was state police who shot the students and it turned the case over to the state.
Meanwhile, the students continued without classes. Both they and state officials spoke of the possibililty that they could lose their entire year of studies and that the school would be closed. A professor at the Autonomous University of Guerrero then organized a group of professors from that college and others to voluntarily provide the students with instruction and thus stave off such outcomes.
After much back and forth with the state and the students, the state Department of Education announced that the school's own teachers would return at the beginning of the new semester, Tuesday, Feb. 7. Also, the director whose appointment had been so contentious was being replaced by an acting director who was a well-known and respected professor at another university. The students and their parents announced that they would clean the school and be prepared to have the teachers return that day.
On Tuesday, the teachers came, not at 8 AM but at 10, accompanied by the deputy director of the state education department. The professor from the Autonomous University was also present to mediate if need be. The students were evidently in their classrooms, waiting. The teachers went to the auditorium instead, saying that they feared for their safety. They told the professor from the Autonomous University to leave, saying that he was intruding on their authority.
A long consultation then occurred between the student leaders and the teachers as to how the time lost in education would be made up and whether each side would respect the rights and safety of the other. The day ended without agreement but saying the discussion would continue on Wednesday.
Yesterday, Wednesday, agreement was reached on making up lost time by extending classes into July. Today, the teachers and students returned to class for the first time in three months.
Classes Resume at Rural Normal School
Milenio: "Beginning at 08:00 A.M. today, Thursday, Feb. 9, classes resumed in the Normal Rural School in Ayotzinapa. Marcial Rodriguez Saldaña, Assistant Secretary of Education of Guerrero, went himself to the school to verify the resumption of work in the classroom. "Today is a very important day," the official said after touring the school and confirming that teachers and students had begun classes. Meanwhile the governor, Angel Aguirre Rivero, expressed his willingness to talk with the students at the time and place that the students indicate." Spanish original
Jan 22, 2012
Human Rights Violations - Guerrero Students: Government of Guerrero investigating 24 public employees for the death of students
CNN Mexico: "At least 24 public officials in Guerrero state are being investigated for their alleged role in the confrontation on December 12 between police and students from the rural normal school in Ayotzinapa, which caused the deaths of two students and an employee of a gas station.
The investigation seeks to determine the administrative penalties "corresponding to the degree of participation" of the civil servants, said Julio Cesar Hernandez Martinez, comptroller general of Guerrero, located southwest of Mexico.
"These responsibilities are related to failing to provide assistance to those threatened by danger or who have been victims of crime, and for not having acted with the necessary determination to prevent immediate and irreparable serious harm, and having used firearms unnecessarily " said Hernandez Martinez .
... The comptroller said officials being investigated tolerated and even performed acts of torture or cruel actions, and did not use the protocol for taking detainees into custody during the dislodging of the protesters on December 12." Spanish original
The investigation seeks to determine the administrative penalties "corresponding to the degree of participation" of the civil servants, said Julio Cesar Hernandez Martinez, comptroller general of Guerrero, located southwest of Mexico.
"These responsibilities are related to failing to provide assistance to those threatened by danger or who have been victims of crime, and for not having acted with the necessary determination to prevent immediate and irreparable serious harm, and having used firearms unnecessarily " said Hernandez Martinez .
... The comptroller said officials being investigated tolerated and even performed acts of torture or cruel actions, and did not use the protocol for taking detainees into custody during the dislodging of the protesters on December 12." Spanish original
Jan 18, 2012
Human Rights Violations - Guerrero Students: Expert reports of the federal Attorney General also indicate that Guerrero police killed students
La Jornada: "The federal Attorney General's Office (PGR) handed over to authorities in Guerrero some results of the expert findings regarding ballistics, physical facts, and criminal acts related to the death of two students from the Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, on 12 December, during a violent removal of the students by the police...
According to sources, the office has made clear that the shots that caused the deaths came from local police weapons, which is consistent with surveys conducted by the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH). However, the federal prosecutor has not reached a determination of specific responsibility because of the absence of bullets that killed the students.
The authorities stated that it is the responsibility of the Attorney General of Guerrero to identify and determine the responsibility of any person or group which made the shots, as the investigation into the crime of murder is in their sphere of authority.
Similarly, respondents said the PGR has not provided all the expert reports to Guerrero's attorney general, because some stages of research are lacking." Spanish original
According to sources, the office has made clear that the shots that caused the deaths came from local police weapons, which is consistent with surveys conducted by the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH). However, the federal prosecutor has not reached a determination of specific responsibility because of the absence of bullets that killed the students.
The authorities stated that it is the responsibility of the Attorney General of Guerrero to identify and determine the responsibility of any person or group which made the shots, as the investigation into the crime of murder is in their sphere of authority.
Similarly, respondents said the PGR has not provided all the expert reports to Guerrero's attorney general, because some stages of research are lacking." Spanish original
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