“They took them alive, we want them back alive,” was the demand of members of collectives dedicated to searching for missing persons in different cities of Tamaulipas. According to official records, Tamaulipas ranks third in the nation for missing and unaccounted for persons.
In Reynosa, they demand that the forensic backlog regarding missing persons be addressed.
The Amor por los Desaparecidos collective of Tamaulipas held a peaceful march this Saturday in commemoration of the International Day of the Fight Against Enforced Disappearances.
Early in the morning, they gathered on Morelos Boulevard in front of the HEB store and marched toward the office of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Enforced Disappearances.
After chanting slogans such as “They took them alive, we want them back alive,” the protesters delivered a document with various demands to the authorities, which was received by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), Leticia Nava.
Citizens searching for their missing relatives participated in the march, some for decades and others for recent years. The vast majority carried banners with photographs of their missing relatives.
“We are holding a peaceful demonstration here outside the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office to demand that the government give us results, address our requests, and expedite the processes because we are experiencing a true forensic crisis,” said Andrés Méndez Ñeco, who is also searching for his sister.
The group’s leader, Edith González Treviño, noted that there remains a forensic backlog in the identification of human remains already located, which keeps dozens of families in suspense.
The activists noted that so far this year they have made 40 positive discoveries at sites that have been placed under the protection of the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office (FGJT); however, to date, there have been no identification results.
In Ciudad Victoria, an increase in disappearances and murders of searchers has been reported.
José Irineo Arredondo, an activist and representative of a collective in Ciudad Victoria, stated that the situation has worsened.
“What we are asking for is not only the return of our missing persons, but also that the crime of forced disappearance be stopped once and for all,” Arredondo stated.
The participants announced that they will set up a permanent camp in front of the Governor’s House until the demands contained in their petition are met.
Sheila Isamal Siguero Silva, from the collective For the Love of Our Missing and Absent Children and Relatives of Tamaulipas, shared her experience. She is searching for her sister, a state police officer who has been missing since May 14, 2014, and says that the lack of progress in the investigation has affected her life and that of her family.
“Many of us searchers face serious health problems due to the endless days in the field, and yet we continue because there is no response from the authorities. We ask for support and dignified treatment, not to be re-victimized,” she stated.
The Nuevo Laredo Human Rights Committee placed photographs of disappeared persons as an act of remembrance, a demand for justice, and support for the families.
A memorial with photographs of victims of forced disappearance was installed in Nuevo Laredo’s First of May Plaza in a symbolic event organized by the Human Rights Committee.
The majority of the cases allegedly involve individuals deprived of their liberty, allegedly by members of the Mexican Army and the Ministry of the Navy (Semar).
The images placed seek to keep their memory alive and, at the same time, demand justice from the responsible authorities.
Impunity in cases of disappearance in Nuevo Laredo
During the ceremony, it was recalled that most of these events remain unsolved. Despite complaints and the ongoing struggle of groups and organizations, those responsible remain unpunished and investigations remain inconclusive.
“This act of recognition aims to raise awareness among the population and, at the same time, remind authorities that they must assume their responsibility to clarify each case,” said Raymundo Ramos Vázquez, president of the Nuevo Laredo Human Rights Committee.
Searching mothers also marched in Tampico.
Groups from southern Tamaulipas joined this commemoration with a march that departed from Laguna del Carpintero toward downtown Tampico. Friends and family members of the missing chanted slogans such as “Until when, until we find them” and “Why are we searching for them, because we love them.”
In this way, from the north to the south of the state, searchers in Tamaulipas are demanding the return of their missing relatives, whose number exceeds 13,000 in the state.
Source: oem
