[JURIST] Members of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances [official website] said Friday that Mexico’s investigation of the forty-three missing Guerrero students and the deaths of six other students in the state is a test of the country’s willingness and capacity to respond [press release] to allegations of human rights violations. The students disappeared [WSJ report] after local police in Iguala opened fire on them and while about 25 students were arrested by local police, the rest of the missing students were purported to have been taken by gangs working with the police. The students are victims of enforced disappearance [press release], according to Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website], which defines enforced disappearance [AI backgrounder] as an abduction by the state or an agent of the state, who then conceals the victim’s whereabouts. UN experts said:

What happened in Guerrero is absolutely reprehensible and unacceptable. It is not tolerable that these kind of events happen, and even less so in a State respectful of the Rule of Law, […] For many years we have identified the impunity that prevails in Mexico in cases of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and torture. We have also highlighted the existing deficiencies in the search and identification of disappeared persons.

The UN urges the Mexican government to investigate the disappearances, punish those responsible, and protect the families of the missing students. Last week 28 bodies were found in six unmarked graves, but forensic testing must be completed to determine if the bodies belong to any of the missing students.

Mexico has faced criticism from the UN and advocacy groups in recent years for numerous alleged human rights violations. In September the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns urged [JURIST report] Mexico to conduct full and impartial investigations into the killings on June 30 in the village of Cuadrilla Nueva in the municipality of Tlatlaya during a military operation against alleged criminals. Also in September AI criticized [JURIST report] the Mexican government for its failure to adequately investigate allegations of torture. Last year Amnesty International called on the Mexican government [JURIST report] to investigate the disappearances of over 26,000 people and acknowledge the government’s involvement in the disappearances. The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions urged [JURIST report] Mexico’s Government last year to increase protections for human rights.