Mexico’s Supreme Court has refused to take up an appeal filed by relatives of the 43 students who disappeared in Iguala, Guerrero, in September 2014, in one of the country’s most notorious human rights cases. The families had sought to challenge a court decision granting a release benefit to a member of the military reportedly linked to the students’ disappearance.
The Ayotzinapa case, involving trainee teachers from a rural college who vanished after clashing with local police, has remained a symbol of unresolved state violence and impunity in Mexico. Investigations have pointed to collusion between municipal authorities, drug cartels, and, according to some findings, members of the armed forces. Successive governments have promised full accountability, yet prosecutions have repeatedly stalled or been overturned in court.
By declining to review the appeal, the Supreme Court leaves intact the lower ruling that benefited the accused soldier, a decision likely to reignite criticism from victims’ families and human rights organizations who have long accused the judicial system of shielding military personnel from accountability in the case.
The families of the 43 have consistently demanded that all suspects, including soldiers, face trial without special treatment. This latest setback adds to more than a decade of frustration as they continue pressing for truth and justice.
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