• The second official visit of the IACHR follow-up mechanism to Mexico demonstrates the Mexican government’s commitment to—together with the victims’ families—continuing to clarify the reprehensible events, to discover the whole truth, punish those responsible and strengthen the attention given to the victims. 

 

  • The Mexican government is following up on all lines of investigation and is addressing the observations and petitions of both the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH).

The second official visit of the IACHR Follow-Up Mechanism began today; the group is headed by the Rapporteur for Mexico, Commissioner Esmeralda Arosamena de Troitiño (Panama). The visit is part of the follow-up to the IACHR precautionary measures related to the 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers College in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero.

The second official visit of Commissioner de Troitiño and IACHR Executive Secretary Paulo Abrão (Brazil) will take place from April 20-21, according to the work plan of the follow-up mechanism, and will include meetings with federal officials and the families of the missing students and their representatives.

Today, the IACHR met with senior officials from the Office of the Attorney General (PGR), and the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs.

Commissioner de Troitiño and Executive Secretary Abrão also met with Attorney General Raúl Cervantes Andrade and received detailed information on the most recent developments in the investigation and search; on how the recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) and the CNDH have been addressed; and the progress made on the various agreements made at the meeting held with the families of the missing students and their representatives in February.

At that meeting, and at today’s meeting with the representatives of the victims’ families, the Attorney General reiterated the institutional commitment of both the PGR and the federal government to continue to follow up on all lines of investigation until they are exhausted in order to fully clarify the events and to determine who is responsible. He stressed the importance of the role played by the IACHR in building bridges and strengthening the dialogue with the parents and relatives of the students.  

While in Mexico, mechanism’s coordinator and the IACHR Executive Secretary will also meet with Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray Caso.

The Mexican government has worked closely with the IACHR since the creation of the mechanism and has given it all of the requested information either through state reports, meetings during the commission’s technical and official visits or at public hearings held during the IACHR’s sessions.

The mechanism’s second official visit is a demonstration of Mexico’s commitment to strengthening its cooperation with the Commission and with Rapporteur Arosamena de Troitiño, and to effectively address the Iguala case, giving priority to the dialogue between the government and the victims’ families and their representatives.