Retired judge arrested over 2014 disappearance of 43 students in Mexico
The arrest is related to the 'disappearance of recordings from cameras' placed in the Palace of Justice in Iguala, in the Mexican State of Guerrero, where the students were last seen.
Marín served as the president of the Superior Court of Justice of Guerrero at the time of the case. Arrest warrants were issued in August of 2022 for military commanders, police officers, and 'five administrative and judicial authorities from the state of Guerrero,' though at the time, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) did not identify the individuals allegedly involved.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about Marin's arrest in Friday morning press conference. She said that the special prosecutor's office is investigating why videos related to the case were erased, an issue she noted families of those who disappeared in 2014 have been raising for a long time.
Sheinbaum replaced Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2024, who left the presidency without fulfilling a key pledge to uncover the truth regarding the 2014 disappearances of 43 students.
The case of the missing students has long gripped Mexico. The students, all males at the local Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College, were traveling through the southwestern city of Iguala on September 26, 2014 when their bus was stopped by local police and military forces. Exactly what transpired after that interaction is still unknown, but photos from the scene show a bullet-riddled bus.
A government report from 2022 concluded that the vanished students were victims of 'state sponsored crime.' In 2023, a report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico found that Mexico's Armed Forces did not provide all the information requested by an independent panel investigating the disappearance. That same year, experts on that panel looking into the case quit, citing 'lack of information,' 'secrecy' and 'hidden evidence' surrounding their investigative efforts.
For grieving families, the arrest reinforces suspicions of a possible cover-up related to the 2014 disappearances. Felipe de la Cruz, one of the Ayotzinapa parents and spokesperson for the group of parents of the disappeared, told CNN on Thursday that a 'pact of silence continues to reign' in the area.
'For us, it is very important that first of all, the investigation continues, and that work continues to be done,' de la Cruz added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize to create tri-national nature reserve to protect Mayan jungle
Mexico Maya Train GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The leaders of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize announced on Friday that they were creating a tri-national nature reserve to protect the Mayan rain forest following a meeting during which they also discussed expanding a Mexican train line criticized for slicing through jungle habitat. The nature reserve would stretch across jungled areas of southern Mexico and northern parts of the two Central American nations, encompassing more than 14 million acres (5.7 million hectares). Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the move 'historic' and said it would create the second biggest nature reserve in Latin America, behind the Amazon rain forest. 'This is one of Earth's lungs, a living space for thousands of species with an invaluable cultural legacy that we should preserve with our eyes on the future,' Sheinbaum said, standing side-by-side with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and Belize Prime Minister Johnny Briceño. The announcement was met with cautious celebration by environmental groups like Mexico-based Selvame, who have sharply criticized the Mexican government and Sheinbaum's allies in recent years for environmental destruction wrought by megaprojects like a controversial train line, known as the Maya Train. The group said in statement that the reserve was a 'monumental step for conservation" but that it hoped that the reserve was more than just 'symbolic.' 'We're in a race against the clock. Real estate and construction companies are invading the jungle, polluting our ecosystems, and endangering both the water we consume, and the communities that depend on it,' the group wrote. It called on Sheinbaum's government to put an effective monitoring system in place to 'stop any destructive activities.' At the same time, the leaders also discussed a proposal by Mexico to expand the very train line those environmental groups have long fought from southern Mexico to Guatemala and Belize. The thousand-mile train currently runs in a rough loop around Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, and was created with the purpose of connecting Mexico's popular Caribbean resorts with remote jungle and Mayan archaeological sites in rural areas. However, it has fueled controversy and legal battles as it sliced through swathes of jungle and damaged a delicate cave system in Mexico that serves as the area's main source of water. In a span of four years, authorities cut down approximately 7 million trees, according to government figures. Sheinbaum's mentor and predecessor former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador fast-tracked the train project without detailed environmental studies. The populist repeatedly ignored orders from judges to stop construction due to environmental concerns and publicly attacked environmentalists warning about damage done to fragile ecosystems. López Obrador first proposed the idea of expanding the train to Guatemala, and Sheinbaum has continued to push for the project. On Friday, she said the extension would usher in development in rural areas with few economic opportunities. But Arévalo was already on record saying Guatemala's laws would not allow it to be built through protected jungle in the north of the country. The Guatemalan leader said on Friday he sees the economic potential of the project to the jungle region but remained adamant that the construction should not come with the kind of environmental damage that it inflicted in Mexico. 'Connecting the Maya Train with Guatemala and eventually with Belize is a vision we share,' Arévalo said. But 'I've made it very clear at all times that the Maya Train will not pass through any protected area.' He said there would also have to be careful environmental studies and the two presidents looked at an alternative proposal that would have the train loop instead of directly cut through the jungles of Guatemala and Belize. It remained unclear how the train's potential route would be affected by the new protected area. —— Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
LDS mission president injured in Mexico shooting
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Mexico City West Mission president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was injured in a shooting at their home early Saturday morning. Church spokesman Sam Penrod says mission president R. Tyler Wallis was shot once by an intruder during an attempted robbery at their residence at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday morning. His wife, Sister Elizabeth Wallis, was not injured. President Wallis is currently in the hospital in Mexico City and is in stable condition. Penrod says President Wallis is responding well to treatment and that Sister Wallis is being supported by the Mexico Area Presidency, who is also helping to oversee the missionaries, all of whom are safe. The Church is cooperating with local authorities during the investigation. 'Our prayers are with President and Sister Wallis, their family members, and the missionaries during this challenging time,' Penrod says. 'The Church is grateful for the thousands of missionaries and their leaders serving as volunteers throughout the world to extend the love and peace that the Savior Jesus Christ offers to each of us.' Latest headlines: LDS mission president injured in Mexico shooting Evacuations downgraded for residents impacted by Willard Peak Fire Cheapest Car Brands for 2025 List: Here's where new Raising Cane's restaurants are opening soon Trump, Zelensky to meet Monday at White House Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Epoch Times
Flow of Fentanyl Down After ‘Titanic Effort' by Mexico, Say Experts
The flow of fentanyl from Mexico to the United States has reduced since U.S. President Donald Trump took office earlier this year and threatened Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum with tariffs unless she squeezed the cartels, according to analysts. On July 31, after a 'very successful' call with Sheinbaum, Trump said he was giving Mexico a 90-day extension before imposing a 30 percent tariff on imports.
