Latest news with #GuerrerosBuscadoresdeJalisco
Int'l Business Times
29-04-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Volunteer Groups in Mexico Keep Uncovering Human Remains in Clandestine Graves
A group of volunteers from Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco — a nonprofit organization dedicated to locating missing persons — reported the existence of unauthorized burial sites, or clandestine graves, in the municipality of San Pedro Tlaquepaque, a community located just south of Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital. Members of the group alerted authorities of their discovery, which included human remains found inside improvised structures they described as "little caves," where victims were allegedly incinerated using tires as fuel. According to their accounts, the remains were exposed to the elements rather than buried. During a Facebook live broadcast, members of Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco condemned the lack of response from authorities despite having alerted municipal and state agencies about their discovery. In the broadcast, volunteers displayed several bone fragments, confirming the remains were human. "You can clearly see molars, teeth, burned human remains, vertebrae, and parts of a skull," said one of the group's spokeswomen. According to the public complaint filed by the group, Tlaquepaque municipal police arrived at the scene, collected the volunteers' details, and left shortly after. "It's 9 p.m., and we're still waiting for the authorities who are supposed to be first responders," one woman said. "We notified the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences — they have the report. But no one has shown up. We also alerted homicide and missing persons units, and yet we're out here in the middle of nowhere. This is unacceptable." Sinaloa-based group makes similar discovery Just last week, a volunteer group in the northern state of Sinaloa uncovered multiple clandestine graves in the municipality of Culiacán. Members of Sabuesos Guerreras discovered the remains of at least 12 people spread across seven separate graves. "We were told there were bodies buried in secret... at first, they reported three, but we ended up finding more," said Belinda Aguilar, a member of the group. According to Aguilar, some of the remains appeared to be recent, while others showed advanced signs of decomposition. The Mexican government has stopped tracking clandestine graves According to El País , the Mexican government has largely "given up" on tracking the number of clandestine graves discovered across the country. The outlet notes that the last official effort to maintain an up-to-date record came in 2023, when the . Clandestine graves found in Mexico between 2006 and 2023 That number has likely increased, as communities across Mexico continue to report new discoveries on a near-weekly basis. For instance, in the northern state of Tamaulipas, members of the group Colectivo Amor por los Desaparecidos have identified more than 20 suspected sites this year in Reynosa, where criminal groups allegedly killed and incinerated their victims. Amid the growing controversy surrounding the Izaguirre Ranch case in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, the federal government quietly disabled public access to the website that had tracked the locations of clandestine graves nationwide. The now-inaccessible records showed that from Dec. 1, 2018, to April 30, 2023, a total of 2,863 sites were discovered. According to data collected by the Interior Ministry and cited by Infobae México , only Veracruz (668) reported more such graves than Tamaulipas (554) and Sinaloa (484). Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Two Oscar-winning films shed light on the thousands of disappeared people in Latin America
MEXICO CITY (AP) — If there is a still open wound in Latin America, it is that of the tens of thousands of disappeared people and decades-long pain that has accumulated in parts of the region such as Mexico and Colombia. Two visions of the trauma had a central role at the 97th Academy Awards: the Brazilian film 'Ainda Estou Aqui' ('I'm Still Here'), which tells the drama of the family of a leftist former congressman who disappeared in 1971 at the height of the military dictatorship; and the musical 'Emilia Pérez,' about a fictional Mexican drug lord who leaves a life of crime to become a transgender woman and searcher for the disappeared in Mexico. 'We hope that in this way the society will be sensitized,' said activist Indira Navarro, who directs the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective in Mexico and has been searching for her brother, who disappeared in the northern state of Sonora nine years ago. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The Academy Awards' recognition of the films, both of which were nominated in multiple categories, was an unparalleled opportunity to make the problem visible, Navarro said. 'I'm Still Here,' by Brazilian Walter Salles, won the Oscar in the category of best international film. "Emilia Pérez', by renowned French director Jacques Audiard, was this year's most-nominated film and won in the categories of best original song and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña. Salles and Audiard's films also had a common denominator of disappearances in Latin America: impunity. The story behind 'I'm Still Here' 'I'm Still Here' was inspired by the book 'Ainda Estou Aqui' by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, son of the disappeared former congressman Rubens Paiva. More than five decades after he was taken from his Rio de Janeiro home and disappeared, none of those responsible for Paiva's case have been held accountable. His widow, Eunice, and their five children have sought justice for years. His family had to wait 40 years to receive his death certificate and even longer for the authorities to recognize that he, like others, died in the context of the violence of the military dictatorship. Salles, accepting the award, said from the Oscars stage: 'This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and to resist…Her name is Eunice Paiva.' Marcelo Rubens Paiva told The Associated Press of the impact of the Oscars recognition: 'People everywhere are afraid of watching their democracies become dictatorships… This movie glorifies democracy and the understanding that human rights, empathy are in short supply.' The disappeared in Mexico In the case of 'Emilia Pérez' the central character, a drug trafficker nicknamed Manitas del Monte ( Karla Sofia Gascón ), tries to vindicate his years as a criminal looking for disappeared people along with lawyer Rita Castro (Saldaña). He never pays for his crimes nor are those responsible for disappearances held accountable before the Mexican justice system. That is very similar to the reality in Mexico, where according to official figures there are currently 123,147 disappeared. The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances acknowledged in a report it presented in April 2022, after a visit to Mexico, that only between 2% and 6% of cases of disappearances were prosecuted. 'Organized crime has become a central perpetrator of disappearances in Mexico, with varying degrees of participation, acquiescence or omission of public servants,' the committee said. The phenomenon of disappearances in Mexico began in the 1960s, but the numbers skyrocketed from the 2000s with the increase in drug trafficking activities and the war against cartels undertaken by the government of then-President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). In Mexico the search for many disappeared rests on the shoulders of their relatives who, with scarce resources and without protection from the authorities, enter regions controlled by criminals to search for their loved ones. That's true for Navarro, who spoke Monday while searching a grave in western state of Jalisco that she and other activists located. She said she hopes the Oscars will serve as 'a wake-up call for the whole world and to know what we are really experiencing here in Mexico.' ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Two Oscar-winning films shed light on the thousands of disappeared people in Latin America
If there is a still open wound in Latin America, it is that of the tens of thousands of disappeared people and decades-long pain that has accumulated in parts of the region such as Mexico and Colombia. Two visions of the trauma had a central role at the 97th Academy Awards: the Brazilian film 'Ainda Estou Aqui' ('I'm Still Here'), which tells the drama of the family of a leftist former congressman who disappeared in 1971 at the height of the military dictatorship; and the musical 'Emilia Pérez,' about a fictional Mexican drug lord who leaves a life of crime to become a transgender woman and searcher for the disappeared in Mexico. 'We hope that in this way the society will be sensitized,' said activist Indira Navarro, who directs the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective in Mexico and has been searching for her brother, who disappeared in the northern state of Sonora nine years ago. The Academy Awards' recognition of the films, both of which were nominated in multiple categories, was an unparalleled opportunity to make the problem visible, Navarro said. 'I'm Still Here,' by Brazilian Walter Salles, won the Oscar in the category of best international film. "Emilia Pérez', by renowned French director Jacques Audiard, was this year's most-nominated film and won in the categories of best original song and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña. Salles and Audiard's films also had a common denominator of disappearances in Latin America: impunity. The story behind 'I'm Still Here' 'I'm Still Here' was inspired by the book 'Ainda Estou Aqui' by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, son of the disappeared former congressman Rubens Paiva. More than five decades after he was taken from his Rio de Janeiro home and disappeared, none of those responsible for Paiva's case have been held accountable. His widow, Eunice, and their five children have sought justice for years. His family had to wait 40 years to receive his death certificate and even longer for the authorities to recognize that he, like others, died in the context of the violence of the military dictatorship. Salles, accepting the award, said from the Oscars stage: 'This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and to resist…Her name is Eunice Paiva.' Marcelo Rubens Paiva told The Associated Press of the impact of the Oscars recognition: ' People everywhere are afraid of watching their democracies become dictatorships… This movie glorifies democracy and the understanding that human rights, empathy are in short supply.' The disappeared in Mexico In the case of 'Emilia Pérez' the central character, a drug trafficker nicknamed Manitas del Monte ( Karla Sofia Gascón ), tries to vindicate his years as a criminal looking for disappeared people along with lawyer Rita Castro (Saldaña). He never pays for his crimes nor are those responsible for disappearances held accountable before the Mexican justice system. That is very similar to the reality in Mexico, where according to official figures there are currently 123,147 disappeared. The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances acknowledged in a report it presented in April 2022, after a visit to Mexico, that only between 2% and 6% of cases of disappearances were prosecuted. 'Organized crime has become a central perpetrator of disappearances in Mexico, with varying degrees of participation, acquiescence or omission of public servants,' the committee said. The phenomenon of disappearances in Mexico began in the 1960s, but the numbers skyrocketed from the 2000s with the increase in drug trafficking activities and the war against cartels undertaken by the government of then-President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). In Mexico the search for many disappeared rests on the shoulders of their relatives who, with scarce resources and without protection from the authorities, enter regions controlled by criminals to search for their loved ones. That's true for Navarro, who spoke Monday while searching a grave in western state of Jalisco that she and other activists located. She said she hopes the Oscars will serve as 'a wake-up call for the whole world and to know what we are really experiencing here in Mexico.' ____
Associated Press
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Two Oscar-winning films shed light on the thousands of disappeared people in Latin America
MEXICO CITY (AP) — If there is a still open wound in Latin America, it is that of the tens of thousands of disappeared people and decades-long pain that has accumulated in parts of the region such as Mexico and Colombia. Two visions of the trauma had a central role at the 97th Academy Awards: the Brazilian film 'Ainda Estou Aqui' ('I'm Still Here'), which tells the drama of the family of a leftist former congressman who disappeared in 1971 at the height of the military dictatorship; and the musical 'Emilia Pérez,' about a fictional Mexican drug lord who leaves a life of crime to become a transgender woman and searcher for the disappeared in Mexico. 'We hope that in this way the society will be sensitized,' said activist Indira Navarro, who directs the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective in Mexico and has been searching for her brother, who disappeared in the northern state of Sonora nine years ago. The Academy Awards' recognition of the films, both of which were nominated in multiple categories, was an unparalleled opportunity to make the problem visible, Navarro said. 'I'm Still Here,' by Brazilian Walter Salles, won the Oscar in the category of best international film. 'Emilia Pérez', by renowned French director Jacques Audiard, was this year's most-nominated film and won in the categories of best original song and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña. Salles and Audiard's films also had a common denominator of disappearances in Latin America: impunity. The story behind 'I'm Still Here' 'I'm Still Here' was inspired by the book 'Ainda Estou Aqui' by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, son of the disappeared former congressman Rubens Paiva. More than five decades after he was taken from his Rio de Janeiro home and disappeared, none of those responsible for Paiva's case have been held accountable. His widow, Eunice, and their five children have sought justice for years. His family had to wait 40 years to receive his death certificate and even longer for the authorities to recognize that he, like others, died in the context of the violence of the military dictatorship. Salles, accepting the award, said from the Oscars stage: 'This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and to resist…Her name is Eunice Paiva.' Marcelo Rubens Paiva told The Associated Press of the impact of the Oscars recognition: 'People everywhere are afraid of watching their democracies become dictatorships… This movie glorifies democracy and the understanding that human rights, empathy are in short supply.' The disappeared in Mexico In the case of 'Emilia Pérez' the central character, a drug trafficker nicknamed Manitas del Monte ( Karla Sofia Gascón), tries to vindicate his years as a criminal looking for disappeared people along with lawyer Rita Castro (Saldaña). He never pays for his crimes nor are those responsible for disappearances held accountable before the Mexican justice system. That is very similar to the reality in Mexico, where according to official figures there are currently 123,147 disappeared. The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances acknowledged in a report it presented in April 2022, after a visit to Mexico, that only between 2% and 6% of cases of disappearances were prosecuted. 'Organized crime has become a central perpetrator of disappearances in Mexico, with varying degrees of participation, acquiescence or omission of public servants,' the committee said. The phenomenon of disappearances in Mexico began in the 1960s, but the numbers skyrocketed from the 2000s with the increase in drug trafficking activities and the war against cartels undertaken by the government of then-President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). In Mexico the search for many disappeared rests on the shoulders of their relatives who, with scarce resources and without protection from the authorities, enter regions controlled by criminals to search for their loved ones. That's true for Navarro, who spoke Monday while searching a grave in western state of Jalisco that she and other activists located. She said she hopes the Oscars will serve as 'a wake-up call for the whole world and to know what we are really experiencing here in Mexico.'
