Mexico marks 11 months since students' disappearance

By Nancy Caouette

MEXICO CITY 

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in Mexico City Wednesday to mark 11 months since 43 students went missing in the southwestern state of Guerrero.

Parents of the young boys, who attended the rural teachers college of Ayotzinapa, led the march that concluded in front of the National Palace.

“It has been 11 months without rest, but confidence and bravery. Today, the parents are more strong than ever,” said Felipe de la Cruz, spokesman for the parents of the missing students.

An official investigation in January found that local police handed over the students to the Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors) cartel. Members of the criminal organization claimed to have killed and burned the bodies in Cocula, located 21 kilometers (13 miles) from Iguala.

Relatives of the students and several experts, however, have rejected the official account.

The former mayor of Iguala and his wife has been detained for their links to local organized crime and are believed to be the masterminds behind the abductions. 

National and international human rights organizations have repeatedly asked the country’s attorney general to expand the investigation and to take into consideration that the army may have been involved in the crime.

Earlier, the parents visited several international embassies, including Canada, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal and Denmark -- asking for help in order to force the reopening of the investigation into the disappearance of their sons.

Almost a year after the students vanished in Iguala, relatives of the victims say they refuse to grieve their loved ones until a transparent investigation explains what happened that night.

To help force action by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, relatives and supporters also said they will hold a three-day hunger strike from Sept. 23 to Sept. 26 -- ending on the day that will mark one year since the disappearances.

The parents also said a group of relatives will travel to Philadelphia at the end of September to assist at the World Meeting of Families and meet Pope Francis during his U.S. visit.