Mexico Violence Never Ends, 5 More Disappeared by Police

By teleSUR

16 January 16

“It’s hell” in Mexico says father of boy disappeared by police bringing to 27 the enforced disappearances in eight days.

our police officers were detained in Mexico’s violence-ridden state of Veracruz Thursday for suspected involvement in the forced disappearance of five youth. A father and relative of one of the five said “Imagine the hell” when you find out your loved ones have been disappeared by the authorities.

“Imagine, it's hell here … something similar happened to me seven years ago when they took my father, they asked for ransom, which I paid, and today I still don’t know where he is,” Bernardo Benitez told Aristegui Noticias.

“Why do they do it? I don't understand. In the case of my son and nephew, I am sure that more than four police took part in the enforced disappearance, but the authorities will ignore all the rest who are involved.”

Attorney General of Veracruz Luis Angel Bravo said in a statement that the officers are suspected of having committed a “flagrant crime” and that the preliminary evidence suggested that the officers had attempted to hide their actions by not reporting the arrests to their superiors, the Mexican daily La Jornada reported.

The five youths were forcibly disappeared earlier this week from Tierra Blanca, a municipality in the south-central part of Veracruz.

Mexican newspaper El Universal reported that witnesses say the five had been taken into police custody before they were disappeared. A car matching the description of the vehicle that the youth were transported in has been located in Medellin de Bravo, more than 55 miles (90 km) from Tierra Blanca, and will be subject to expert inspection as potential evidence in the investigation.

Tierra Blanca, where the five youth were arrested, and Medellin de Bravo, where a vehicle matching
the description of the one they were transported in was found, are more than 55 miles (90 km) apart.
(photo: Google Maps/teleSURtv.net)

According to Mexico’s 24 Horas, it is not clear why the officers carried out the five arrests.

The attorney general’s office is currently investigating the forced disappearance case with the goal of locating the five missing people and bringing those responsible to face justice.

“We are in a very intense search protocol,” said Bravo.

Veracruz is one of the most violent states in Mexico.

In 2015, the states of Veracruz and Guerrero, where 43 students were disappeared from the Ayotzinapa teacher training school in 2014, had the highest murder rates in the country.