‘If you keep looking we will kill you’: death stalks those searching for Mexico’s disappeared
Organised crime groups are targeting some of the only people looking for victims of the country’s cartel wars – their relatives
TL;DR
- Relatives searching for disappeared loved ones in Mexico are becoming targets of murder and disappearance.
- The number of individuals targeted for searching has accelerated significantly in recent years.
- Organized crime groups are believed to be behind these attacks as a tactic to conceal crimes and sow terror.
- Despite some government protection, searchers remain vulnerable, and many attacks go unpunished.
- The collective Hearts United for One Cause in Mazatlán exemplifies this danger, with two members murdered or disappeared.
- The ongoing cartel wars have led to a large number of disappearances, with victims buried, burned, or dissolved with acid.
- Human rights organizations like Artículo 19 are documenting these incidents and advocating for the protection of searchers.