Mexico arrests ex-attorney general in case of 43 missing students, who disappeared in 2014
USA TodayDec 24, 2022
The Facts
Mexico's Pres. Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced on Tuesday that Omar Gómez Trejo, the special prosecutor leading the Attorney General's (AG) office's investigation into the disappearance of 43 students in 2014, has resigned.
On Sept. 26, 2014, the students — from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College in the southwestern Guerrero state — went missing after a clash with municipal police. So far, only the remains of three group members have been identified, and, last month, a truth commission faulted military personnel for the disappearance.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The resignation of Gómez Trejo adds to the massive confusion created by the López Obrador administration in its attempt to deny the "historical truth" about the missing 43 students. So far, this new investigation has failed to find any substantial evidence and has instead focused on promoting persecution against public servants, military personnel, and media.
Pro-establishment narrative
Though Gómez Trejo was a symbol of the López Obrador administration's efforts to finally reveal the truth about what happened to the 43 missing students, setbacks were expected from the start due to the original investigation and political interests related to this crime. Breakthroughs have already been made, and soon the truth will be revealed.
Cynical narrative
Gómez Trejo's resignation exposes a rupture within the ongoing probe. Without clear guidelines on who and what to investigate, internal disputes between prosecutors will only lead to anger and compromise the investigation.
