Thousands protest ahead of Mexican president’s report on missing students

Mexico City witnessed a massive protest on Saturday, marking the 12th anniversary of the disappearance of 43 trainee teachers. In a show of solidarity, demonstrators donned red and carried symbolic coffins as they marched through the capital's main square. President Claudia Sheinbaum, who frequently meets with the families of the disappeared, was set to release a report on the case's latest developments, following a thorough investigation by the attorney general's office.

The protest was spearheaded by the parents of the 43 trainee teachers from Ayotzinapa, who led the procession to Mexico City's central plaza. They carried banners that read, "Because they were taken alive, we want them back alive." The demonstration was a somber occasion, with participants reflecting on the 12 years since the students vanished on September 26, 2014. One parent, Estanislao Mendoza, lamented, "Another year of strain, of exhaustion, of hopelessness."

The tragic events unfolded when the students were traveling from Guerrero state to Mexico City for a protest. Local police intercepted them in the town of Iguala, leading to a violent clash in which six individuals were killed. The remaining 43 trainee teachers were subsequently taken into custody and later found murdered, their bodies incinerated and disposed of in a river.

Initially, authorities claimed that the officers had handed the students over to drug cartel hitmen, who were responsible for their deaths. However, independent human rights experts have challenged this assertion, and the case remains unresolved, tarnishing Mexico's reputation.

A former governor was arrested in August on charges of removing security footage from the scene of the crime in Iguala. Another arrest was made in 2022 involving the former state attorney general. Despite these developments, more than 134,000 people are still classified as missing in Mexico. Atanacio Pina, a 69-year-old father whose son remains missing, passionately stated, "It's necessary to support a struggle against the indifference of a government that refuses to accept that there is a disappearance crisis."