Mexico arrests ex-governor over alleged destruction of evidence in 2014 student case
The remains of three victims have since been positively identified, but the others have yet to be found.
Former Mexican governor Angel Aguirre has been apprehended on charges of obstructing justice and facilitating a forced disappearance. These allegations stem from his purported involvement in the destruction of evidence pertaining to the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College. The Attorney General's Office, Ernestina Godoy, stated that Aguirre allegedly ordered the obliteration of crucial evidence during a meeting with senior officials within his administration, a revelation corroborated by new testimony from two witnesses in January and May.
The students, who were on their way to a protest in Mexico City, were ultimately killed by organized crime members working in conjunction with police. Despite initial claims by state authorities about the non-existence of crucial security footage, a witness who had previously remained silent due to intimidation came forward this year.
This development has bolstered an ongoing international inquiry, which has long maintained that the state authorities were responsible for the case. The team responsible for the investigation, the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts, had identified the state as responsible as early as 2015. According to Angela Buitrago, a member of this esteemed group, the discovery of the alleged destroyed evidence could have significantly expedited the search for the missing students.
Enrique Pena Nieto, the former president of Mexico, who served between 2012 and 2018, has not yet commented on the matter.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written; read the original for the full account.
