Spain demands justice after killing of student in Mexico

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has called for justice following the killing of a 21-year-old Spanish student, Claudia Tacoronte, in central Mexico. The local authorities are treating the case as a femicide. Tacoronte, a student at the University of Granada, was participating in an academic exchange programme at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos when she was found dead.

Her body was discovered on Saturday near the Casa de Cultura in Cuautla, a city in Morelos state, around 100km south of Mexico City. She had been in the region for less than a month and was staying at the cultural centre for a medicinal plant festival. The Spanish Equality Minister, Ana Redondo, expressed her disappointment via social media, stating that the exchange should have been an experience of learning and freedom, emphasizing that sexist violence knows no borders or age.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stated that federal authorities are supporting the investigation. The University of Granada condemned the killing and observed a minute of silence in Tacoronte's memory. In response to the incident, the university has cancelled exchange placements for three students who were set to study in Morelos next semester.

Mexico has long grappled with high levels of gender-based violence, with Morelos recording 21 femicides between January and July this year, while 380 were registered nationwide over the same period.