Mexico: Former AG Arrested Over Missing Students Case

Facts

• Mexico's former Attorney General, Jesús Murillo Karam, was arrested on Fri. on charges of "forced disappearance, torture, and obstruction of justice" in connection with the abduction and alleged massacre of 43 students in 2014.
• The following day, a judge remanded him in preventative custody at the Reclusorio Norte, in Mexico City. He's expected to attend another hearing on Wednesday.
• Murillo oversaw the investigation into the disappearance of the Ayotzinapa Teachers' College students in the Guerrero state, one in which only three victims were found and authorities are accused of torturing witnesses.
• Federal prosecutors also announced that another 83 arrest warrants were issued in relation to the case, including for military, police, local officials, and gang members.
• On Thurs., the case's truth commission, headed by the deputy interior minister, Alejandro Encinas, labeled it a "state crime," arguing that the army was at least partially liable for the alleged executions.
• This comes in contrast to the so-called "historical truth" presented by the official 2015 report, which blamed cartel members and imputed no responsibility to military personnel.

Sources: New York Times, Mexico News Daily, Reuters, New York Post, NPR Online News, and France 24.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Arout. This arrest of Murillo Karam is part of Pres. López Obrador's political proxy war against his rival, former Pres. Peña Nieto. The truth commission isn't a constitutional institution and Encinas is no prosecutor to investigate someone. On top of being completely illegitimate, it's recycling a "state crime" accusation already dismissed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. The families of the 43 students deserve the truth and that's what the López Obrador's admin is pushing for. Multiple investigations have revealed links between local, state, and federal authorities in the case, including an effort to hide the military's omissions that allowed the crime to happen. There's no place for impunity in Mexico anymore.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Even if this is positive news for the families of the victims, the arrest of Murillo doesn't mean anyone will actually be punished for the tragic murders of those 43 students. Due to Mexico's inefficient judicial system, this will likely become a long-lasting legal battle with no one held accountable in the end.