Relatives of Mexico's disappeared hold protest ahead of World Cup

MEXICO CITY — Thousands of people, led by mothers of the disappeared, marched through Mexico’s capital on Sunday to protest the ongoing violence and widespread impunity in the country, as Mexico prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup.

The demonstration, held on Mother’s Day, was organized by collectives of mothers searching for relatives who vanished during years of drug-related violence. The groups urged soccer fans to join their cause, saying in a statement that “there is nothing to celebrate, because the mothers of Mexico are playing the most difficult match: the one for justice.”

Chanting “Mexico, champion in disappearances,” protesters marched along Paseo de la Reforma, one of Mexico City’s main avenues, carrying banners and photographs of missing loved ones. They passed a roundabout permanently lined with metal barriers displaying images of the disappeared.

“We had to start fighting because no one wanted to take charge of the disappearance case,” said Graciela Perez Rodriguez, whose daughter and four other relatives went missing in 2012 in the northern state of Tamaulipas while traveling on a highway after a trip to the United States.

Mexico has more than 130,000 people reported missing, with disappearances rising sharply after 2006 when the government intensified its war against drug cartels.

Authorities, including police and other officials, are frequently implicated in these cases. Families searching for their missing relatives often face threats and violence from criminal groups, with some mothers also becoming victims while pursuing justice on their own.

In March, Mexican authorities said they had potentially identified more than 40,000 people listed as missing who may still be alive, following a review of the national registry that revealed activity in other government databases.

However, the public policy organization Mexico Evalua reported that disappearances have increased by 200% over the past decade, driven largely by the growing influence of organized crime.

Rodriguez said she fears her family’s case has been forgotten after nearly 14 years without answers.

“We feel this emptiness,” she said.

— Reporting by Leila Miller in Buenos Aires and Alicia Fernandez in Mexico City; additional reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer; editing by Paul Simao / Reuters