Published by El Universal. Read the Spanish version here.
Parents of normalistas applaud creation of the Special Unit and its head
The parents of the 43 students welcome the creation of the Investigation and Litigation Unit for the Ayotzinapa Case, and approve its leader, Omar Gómez Trejo, former technical secretary of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GiEI)
After marching from the Angel of Independence (Benito Juárez Hemicycle) in Mexico City, the parents said in an interview that they trust the new institution and its head will find the whereabouts of the normalistas and punish those responsible for the crime.
Felipe de la Cruz, spokesperson for the relatives of the normalistas, said "The Unit is something that we were waiting for six months, when the President of the Republic allowed it, and it gives us more confidence that someone from the GIEI is going to to be in charge because they demonstrated an approach with the victims.”
He added that justice is very close and he hopes that no official will be left un-investigated, especially the military and police commanders allegedly involved in the forced disappearances.
Hilda Hernández, mother of César Manuel González Hernández, said that "The case must be resolved. It is very important that the new Unit has already been formed because that opens the way for investigations to continue to be carried out.”
She added that the "historical truth" about Ayotzinapa collapsed with the publication of the video showing elements of police torture of one of the suspects implicated in the disappearance of the young students, and in which it is revealed that some of them were transferred to Mezcala, Guerrero.
On the appointment of Omar Gómez Trejo as head of the specialized Unit, she said "We have full confidence in the Group of Experts. We are hopeful to continue the investigations, and we’re so confident the members of the IGIE were there, asking for this new institution.“
Organizations approves Omar Gómez Trejo
Centro Prodh, Serapaz, Fundar and Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña indicated that the creation of the Investigation Unit and the designation of Omar Gómez Trejo as its head opens a new stage in the investigation of the case.
"The appointment of Omar Gómez Trejo is particularly promising given his deep knowledge of the case and his experience in international human rights bodies, which suggest that the investigation will be professional and objective,” the NGOs said in a joint statement.
They added that it is essential that the head of the new Unit work hand in hand with the Presidential Commission for Truth and Justice in the Ayotzinapa Case, as well as with international human rights organizations.
"The relatives of the disappeared students see this announcement as a new opportunity for the FGR to prove its accountability to the families who search for their disappeared and to prove that it can break the pacts of impunity that cover up the gross human rights violations committed in the country,” they concluded.