Prosecutors also issued arrest warrants against 44 police officers, 20 military personnel, five officials and 14 members of a drug cartel. They are suspected of participation in a criminal organization and involvement in kidnapping, torture and murder.
The students, trainee teachers, disappeared in the town of Iguala on September 26, 2014, after participating in a demonstration against what they believe was an unfair way in which the government employed teachers. What exactly happened is unclear. It is believed they were kidnapped by corrupt police officers and handed over to a criminal organization. Members later said they killed the students and burned their bodies. On Thursday, the government recognized for the first time that the students were dead. Previously, the official position was that they were still alive.
protests
The kidnapping of the students sparked large-scale protests in Mexico. The investigation into their disappearance drew international criticism for the many mistakes that were made and the lack of progress. For example, the remains of only three victims have been found.
When he took office in 2018, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador swore that the matter would be resolved.