Development: On 17 September Mexican authorities reported that Gildardo ‘El Gil’ López Astudillo, considered a key participant in last year’s abduction and presumed murder of 43 training teachers in Iguala, Guerrero state, had been arrested.
Significance: The arrest and earlier news that the remains of one of the missing students (the second so far) had been identified through DNA testing carried out by the University of Innsbruck in Austria have raised hopes of progress in resolving one of Mexico’s most notorious and politically sensitive crimes. But the Iguala case remains as complex and disputed as ever. As the first anniversary of the tragedy comes closer (26 September) the government is likely to remain under intense pressure.
- The office of the federal attorney general (PGR) has a view of what happened at Iguala, which the latest two developments appear to support. It is that the students, who were commandeering buses to take part in a political demonstration, were mistaken for members of a drug gang. Corrupt municipal police captured them and handed them over to the rival Guerreros Unidos drug gang; they were murdered, their bodies burnt, and the remains thrown in a rubbish dump near the town of Cocula.
- The problem with this version of events is two-fold: first, it is largely based on confessions, some of which may have been extracted under torture; and second, there is little or no supporting forensic evidence. A group of experts from the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IAHRC) says it is impossible for 43 bodies to have been burnt without leaving any traces.
- The news that the remains of Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz, have been identified by DNA testing carried out in Austria could be key to clearing up the case. But PGR head, Arely Gómez, was careful to say that there were “indications” of a match. This led a group of Argentine forensic experts (EAAF), who are working have been collaborating with the investigations at the request of the relatives of the disappeared, to say that the results of the DNA testing are “not definitive” and that the two presumed crimes remain “uncertain and problematic”.
- The capture of ‘El Gil’ could also be key to solving the case, since he is claimed to have sent text messages to other Guerrero Unidos leaders incorrectly identifying the students as being members of the rival Los Rojos gang, as well as ordering the burning of the bodies. He may shed further light on what actually happened.
Looking Ahead: Perhaps mindful that President Enrique Peña Nieto is due to meet the relatives of the victims next week (24 September) the government is trying to show progress is being made in the investigation. But the relatives remain unconvinced by the official version of events, and many still suspect some kind of cover-up (speculating for example that the military was involved, given that the IAHRC experts were not allowed to interview officers from the local army barracks). The Iguala case is likely to remain one of Peña Nieto’s biggest political liabilities for some time yet.
End of preview - This article contains approximately 508 words.
Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article
Not a Subscriber?
Choose from one of the following options
