[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6212-S6213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENSURING JUSTICE FOR DISAPPEARED PEOPLES IN MEXICO
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to observe the second
anniversary of the forced disappearance of 43 students in the Mexican
state of Guerrero, a tragedy that continues to haunt the students'
families and friends. I also rise to speak to the endemic challenges
posed by cases of missing and disappeared persons across Mexico and to
appeal to President Pena Nieto and Mexico's political leaders to be
more responsive and transparent on this critical issue.
On the evening of September 26, 2014, in a series of events that the
New York Times has characterized as a ``night of terror,'' local police
from the town of Iguala turned their weapons on the civilian population
and colluded with the criminal organization known as the Guerreros
Unidos to target and terrorize students from the Escuela Normal Rural
Raul Isidro Burgos, which is a teachers' college. By the end of that
night, 6 people were killed, 25 were injured, and 43 students were
forcibly ``disappeared'' in a tragic story that has echoed around the
globe.
As links between the U.S. and Mexico abound and given the more than
33 million Mexican-Americans and Mexicans residing in the United
States, the disappearance of the 43 students has been felt deeply
throughout our country.
Whether it is in California, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, New York or
Maryland, almost all of our States are home to large, dynamic Mexican-
American communities that remain in contact with friends and families
throughout Mexico. Many of our constituents have direct and personal
ties to the tragedy that took place in Iguala and the broader crisis of
unresolved disappearances in Mexico.
In the 2 years since the disappearance of the 43 students, it is
important to recognize that there have been critical advances in the
investigations. Moreover, I want to recognize the Government of
Mexico's decision to work with the Inter-American Commission on Human
Rights, IACHR, to create an Interdisciplinary Group of Independent
Experts, GIEI--by its initials in Spanish--which has provided
invaluable technical assistance for the investigation, as well as key
recommendations to strengthen ongoing investigative efforts.
It is imperative to note, however, that the GIEI faced repeated
obstacles such as restricted access to key documents and individuals
and found significant inconsistencies in the Mexican Government's
investigation, including incidents of mishandled evidence.
It is also important to note that the experts found evidence which
indicates that members of the federal and state police may have joined
the local police in colluding with the criminal organizations involved
in the disappearance of the students. In addition, members of the
Mexican Army's 27th Battalion were discovered to have been at the scene
of the crime and closely involved in the fatal events of that night.
And we cannot overlook the fact that 2 full years after the students'
disappearance, there has not been a single criminal conviction in the
case.
For these reasons, I urge President Pena Nieto and his administration
to take all necessary steps to make operational a special follow-up
mechanism for the investigation the IACHR established in July. This
follow-up mechanism will include two IACHR-appointed advisors
responsible for working with Mexican authorities and monitoring further
action on the group of experts' recommendations.
Continued progress on this case is critical. My staff has met
directly with the families of the 43 students, and we cannot let their
call for justice end in impunity. So whether it includes pursuing new
leads, discarding flawed theories, granting broader access to case
files, or removing officials who have obstructed the investigation, I
appeal to President Pena Nieto and his administration to ensure that
the investigation has the full political backing and sufficient
resources to achieve the needed results.
I also want to speak to how the case of the 43 students is
representative of the endemic challenge of missing and disappeared
peoples across Mexico. According to its own statistics, since 2007, the
Mexican Government has documented more than 28,000 cases of missing and
disappeared people. In fact, in the months after the students'
disappearance, as investigators and families of disappeared persons
fanned out across Guerrero state, they encountered numerous mass graves
of victims of unknown crimes and carnage. So the resolution of this
case is particularly symbolic as it would give hope to the thousands of
Mexican families who have relatives who have disappeared.
I want to recognize President Pena Nieto's decision to submit draft
legislation last December for a general law to prevent and punish the
crime of disappearances, which would establish obligations for federal,
state, and local authorities and improve coordination across
jurisdictions. I appeal to members of the Mexican Senate and Chamber of
Deputies to pass this important legislation. By prioritizing this issue
and providing increased budgetary, forensic, and technological
resources, Mexican authorities can ensure justice for the tens of
thousands of Mexican families who have suffered the disappearance of a
friend or loved one.
Finally, I want to call upon the State Department and our Embassy in
Mexico City to use their diplomatic discussions with the Mexican
Government to offer all relevant assistance and to underscore the
importance of learning the truth about the disappearance of the 43
students and the broader issue of missing and disappeared people. We
must stand ready to support our Mexican partners as they pursue justice
in these critical cases, which have touched the lives of too many
Mexicans and, in turn, our constituents here in the United States.
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