Mexico: Bishops demand thorough investigation into killing of 43 students

Following the killing of 43 students by a hired gang, the Mexican Bishops Conference have expressed their solidarity with the students' families and appealed to the government to investigate the deaths and clamp down on organised crime that is tearing the country apart.

On Friday, 7 November, in Chilpancingo, the Attorney General, Jesús Murillo, met the parents of the missing students and told them them three men had confessed to killing the young people, burning the bodies and throwing their remains into the San Juan river.

The Mexican Episcopal Conference issued a statemen expressing solidarity with the students’ families and calling for an end to this climate of violence. They said: "We join our voice to yours and that of our entire society, and we say: enough with so much corruption, impunity and violence!

"We urge the authorities to carry out a thorough investigation and find out with certainty what happened to the missing students and severly punish those involved in this atrocious crime. We also call to enforce the rule of law, to end all forms of violence, illegal activities, corruption, impunity, and to say stop to the complicity of some officials with organized crime".

The document is signed on behalf of the Mexican Bishops, from the Archbishop of Guadalajara and President of CEM, Cardinal José Francisco Robles Ortega, to the Secretary of CEM, the Auxiliary Bishop of Puebla, Mgr Eugenio Lira Rugarcia.

Since the killings, there have been ongoing riots and demonstrations in front of the government buildings.

Source: Fides