From “historical truth” to the one that set us free: Ayotzinapa’s students were killed by a crime of the State in Mexico

After eight years of contradictory findings and information regarding the disappearance of the 43 students of Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, in Mexico, the absolute truth appears to start shining for the families and the people of that country. Former Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam is behind bars after he was apprehended last Friday concerning the disappearance and presumed murder of the 43 students in Guerrero in 2014. He was detained “without resistance” at his home in Mexico City.   The federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said that Murillo, who was Mexico’s Attorney General between 2012 and 2015 in the government led by former president Enrique Peña Nieto –was charged with forced disappearance, torture, and obstruction of justice in connection with the abduction of the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College students, who disappeared from there on September 26, 2014. His arrest came a day after the federal government published a report detailing the findings of an official inquiry that concluded that the kidnapping and presumed murder of the students was a crime of the state. The remains of just three students have been found and identified. Please see the news at. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/ex-attorney-general-arrested-in-ayotzinapa-43-case/

Maybe we remember how the international community was shocked after these students’ sudden and massive disappearance. They were protesting the unjust education reforms that affected their education and looking for scholarships and student aid. The majority of these students came from impoverished and marginalized areas of Mexico. In addition, it is crucial to acknowledge how Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration dispatched what happened by plotting a theory, which he called “historical truth.” According to it, the 43 students from the Ayotzinapa rural teachers’ college were intercepted by corrupt municipal police in Iguala, Guerrero, in September 2014 while traveling on buses they had commandeered to travel to a protest march in Mexico City. The police then handed them over to the Guerreros Unidos gang members, who killed the students, burned their bodies in a municipal dump, and scattered their ashes in a local river. Now we know how that theory was crushed into the wall as it was dismantled by judicial decisions and reports in the recent past. For example, a judge in Mexico already ruled that 83 sworn statements used to back up that “truth” were obtained illegally and violated human rights, among other things. Please, see https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/ayotzinapas-historical-truth-in-doubt/.

The Theological Community of Mexico (CTdM), one of our Global Ministries’ Partners in the country, has accompanied the relatives of the disappeared in Ayotzinapa through its diaconic ministry and its practitioners of the Chaplaincy course. Its Rector, Dr. Dan González Ortega, has participated in vigils, forums, and interviews with the families. Likewise, CTdM published educational materials to raise awareness about what happened in that place. After hearing the news about the arrest of the former Attorney General, Dr. González Ortega shared some brief comments on the matter:

There have been relevant things in recent days. The main issue has been the government’s attitude in recognizing this was a “state crime.” On the other hand, it was recognized that there were many flaws in the investigation of the previous government. Immediately afterward, the former Attorney General who carried out the so-called “historical truth” was arrested. However, this still has a long way to go. First of all, we still don’t know where the bodies of the still missing students are. Second, the army was responsible, and no accusation was made against that entity. It is known that among the students, there was a military intelligence infiltrator. In addition, the so-called “historical truth” was forged in the office of the previous president of the nation, and there are still no charges against Peña Nieto. However, we see how the matter has advanced much more, and we are closer to the truth.”

In times where everything seems diluted amid statements, images, and particular constructions, we can attest that the truth is still a pending issue to be built. It should be contrasted with reality, with the deepening of those concrete manifestations that can ruin statements empty of content. The tenacity of the families and those who have accompanied them show us that, in light of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, “we will know the truth and that it will set us free.” (John 8:32). Let us continue in prayer and vigilance until all the truth comes to light.