MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the disappearance of 43 teaching students in Mexico
21.10.2014 - (2014/2905(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Josef Weidenholzer, Richard Howitt, Afzal Khan, Ramón Jáuregui Atondo, Enrico Gasbarra, Krystyna Łybacka, Goffredo Maria Bettini, Andi Cristea, Liisa Jaakonsaari, Sorin Moisă, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, José Blanco López, Nicola Caputo, Pina Picierno, Marc Tarabella, Hugues Bayet, Alessia Maria Mosca, Tonino Picula on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0161/2014
B8‑0171/2014
European Parliament resolution on the disappearance of 43 teaching students in Mexico
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the United Mexican States of 23 July 1997,
– having regard to its Recommendation to the Council of 12 March 2009 on an EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership,
– having regard to the Commission Communication to the Council and the European Parliament of 15 July 2008 entitled ‘Towards an EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership’ (COM(2008)0447),
– having regards to the Joint Executive Plan of the EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership of 16 May 2010,
– having regard to the Commission Communication to the Council and the European Parliament of 30 September 2009 entitled ‘The European Union and Latin America: Global Players in Partnership’ (COM(2009)0495),
– having regard to the joint statement of 17 June 2012 by the Sixth EU-Mexico Summit held in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
– having regard to the joint Communiqué of 9 February 2012 by the Seventh Joint Council held in Mexico City, Mexico
– having regard to the joint Declaration of 17 April 2014 of the Seventeenth Joint Parliamentary Committee held in Strasbourg, France,
– having regard to the joint Communiqué by the Twelfth meeting of the EU-Mexico Joint Committee, held in Mexico City, Mexico on 10-11 June 2013,
– having regard to its resolution of 11 March 2010 on the escalation of violence in Mexico,
– having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Mexico, in particular the one on 11 March 2010 on the escalation of violence in Mexico,
A. whereas Mexico and the European Union share common values that find expression in our democratic, pluralist societies, defending fundamental freedoms, human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development, and the commitment to consolidating democracy, rule of law, legal certainty, equitable economic and social development, fighting corruption and poverty.
B. whereas the EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership has enabled closer cooperation between the EU and Mexico on issues of global importance, and in particular enhanced dialogue, coordination and exchanges in areas such as security, human rights, electoral reform, regional development and regulatory and trade policies,
C. whereas Mexico is among the world’s most dynamic emerging countries and participates in all the regional and universal fora and has signed all the international agreements on human rights and fundamental freedoms,
D. whereas despite Mexican Government has made important advances in democracy and human rights and has demonstrated its firm commitment to improve the security situation in the country, violence linked to organised crime remains a matter of concern; whereas the Mexican Government has increased the security forces´ budget and reform of the public security institutions, with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement and the effectiveness of the legal system, thus making it possible to confront organised crime,
E. whereas the ultraviolent new drug cartels have branched out into other criminal activities besides drug trafficking, such as kidnapping, extortion and smuggling activities ,
F. whereas the causes of violence and insecurity in Mexico cannot be disconnected from the huge social cohesion gaps as well as its geographic location as a main transhipment point for drug traffickers,
G. whereas, according to reports, on 26 September 2014, the municipal police of Iguala (Guerrero state, Southern Mexico) opened fire without warning on three buses containing 80 students of the rural teacher-training college of Ayotzinapa (Guerrero) who were returning from a fundraising campaign,
H. whereas the students were then attacked by gunmen in civilian clothes and clashes then occurred between the police and the gunmen; whereas according to various sources those students were rounded up and driven away by police officers and handed over to unidentified armed men linked to a drug cartel;
I. whereas, as a result of these violent incidents, 6 people were killed, more than 20 injured and 43 have disappeared,
J. whereas according to Mexican government more than 50 persons linked to the crimes, mostly police officers of the Municipality of Iguala and Cocula, have been arrested; whereas on 14 October the Attorney General declared that after forensic analyses the 28 bodies found in clandestine graves near Iguala on 4 October 2014 did not correspond to those of the missing students;
K. whereas 10 hidden graves with more than 30 corpses -not corresponding with the missing students- were found during the investigation
L. whereas the Mexican federal authorities have agreed a roadmap for joint actions together with the missing students' families and representatives, which includes a request to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for the implementation of a technical assistance program,
M. whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, the Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Committee on Enforced Disappearances have also been invited by the federal authorities to cooperate,
N. whereas the Mayor of Iguala, his wife, and the mayor and police chief of Iguala are on the run and accused of links to the local Guerrero Unidos drug cartel,
O. whereas, since the events, nationwide protests have taken place denouncing the complicity of the local police in the crimes, endemic corruption among the police force and institutional weakness in particular areas of the country,
P. whereas the political groupings of both chambers of the Congress of the Mexican Union have established parliamentary committees to monitor the case,
Q. whereas in 2013 the Federal Attorney General's Office set up a specialized unit to investigate the cases of abductions and disappearances and establish the whereabouts of the victims,
1. Deplores the loss of lives of 6 people and conveys its condolences to their families, expresses its deep concerns about the disappearance of 43 students following events on 26 September 2014, and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Mexican people in the fight against organised drug trafficking,
2. Welcomes the strong commitment of President Nieto and the federal authorities to assume full responsibility for the investigation of the crimes and the protection of the safety of the 43 students and calls on the Mexican authorities to investigate the finding of 28 bodies in the clandestine graves;
3. Extends its sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, and to the Mexican people, whom it encourages to continue to fight to defend democracy and the rule of law.
4. Calls for the full, transparent, impartial and prompt investigation to be continued until the students have been brought to safety and those responsible, whoever they may be, to justice, using all available information and resources internally and externally,
5. Supports the Mexican Government in its determination to combat organised drug trafficking and urges the federal authorities to protect, assist and inform the families of all victims along the whole process, to consult them before any public announcements and to ensure their support and protection,
6. Calls on the Mexican government to investigate deeply into the supposed infiltration of organized crime into local entities,
7. Asks the federal authorities to ensure the full participation of lawyers and human rights defenders in the process as well as their protection,
8. Encourages the supporting work of international organizations and international forensic experts,
9. Invites the EEAS to offer its technical capacities to collaborate with the federal authorities,
10. Urges the Mexican government at all levels to take actions that will prevent events like those in Iguala from ever occurring again and to protect citizens as long as necessary; and condemns all forms of violence, in particular the violence and persistent death threats to which activists engaged in promoting and defending freedom of speech and human rights in Mexico;
11. Encourage the continuity of the search for the Mayor of Iguala, his wife and the police chief of Iguala;
12. Asks the federal authorities to investigate and clarify the origin of the founded graves and to prosecute the responsibles of those killings;
13. Underlines that Mexico is a strategic partner for the EU; supports, in that sense, the Mexican government's efforts to end violence and consolidate the rule of law, with a view to tackling some of the structural problems that are at the root of the human rights violations, specifically with reference to the reform of the judicial system and the reported collusion between local authorities and police forces, and the drug cartels,
14. Calls on the EU and its Member States, in their bilateral relations with Mexico, and on the European institutions, the EEAS in particular, to step up the support they provide for human rights through cooperation programmes and financial and technical resources; calls on them also to increase the budgetary resources allocated to cooperation in strengthening and reforming the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and prosecution services, with a view to prosecuting and punishing offenders, and to set up effective systems for protecting witnesses and victims and their families;
15. Supports the Mexican authorities efforts to collaborate with international organisations such as, European Union and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR); recalls the crucial role of non-governmental organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and Amnesty International, in ensuring the respect of human rights and the rule of law,
16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Member States, the Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Eurolat Parliamentary Assembly and the President and Congress of Mexico.