Mexico: Sting joins Amnesty International's campaign against disappe..
In support of Amnesty International's campaign against disappearances in Mexico, world-renowned singer and songwriter Sting met with relatives of some of the thousands who have gone missing in the country in recent years.
"It is not hard to imagine the anguish and torment that families undergo when a loved one disappears, vanishes without trace or explanation, when attempts to find them or discover their fate are frustrated by the apparent indifference of the authorities to a situation that has become an
epidemic in Mexico," said Sting.
"I met with some of the families, but they are just the tip of the iceberg, I call on the Mexican government to follow up on these cases far more vigorously, to find and prosecute those responsible and to prevent through legislation this scourge of disappearances and human rights abuses."
"Disappearances are far from being a tragedy of the past across Latin America with nearly 27,000 going missing across Mexico in the past few years alone. Anyone here is a potential target with authorities doing little or nothing to find them and punish those responsible," said Erika-Guevara
Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
"We are enormously grateful to Sting for joining our efforts in finding justice for thousands of families, just as he did in Argentina and Chile in the past. Together, we trust we can make a huge difference."
Ahead of his concert in the state of Morelos, Sting met with:
Brenda Rangel, sister of Hector Rangel, disappeared since 2009. Hector was last seen at a check-point manned by local traffic police in Queretaro in central Mexico. Since her brother's disappearance, Brenda has suffered acts of intimidation while trying to find him.
Lucia Baca, mother of Alejandro Moreno, who has been missing since 2011. He was last seen driving on a motorway in northern Mexico.
Guadalupe Fernandez ("Lupita"), mother of Jose Antonio Robledo, who was abducted in 2009 in the north of the country where he was working at a steel processing plant.
Ana Enamorado, mother of Oscar Lopez, who has been missing since 2010. Oscar went missing as he travelled from his native Honduras through Mexico to the USA -- fleeing violence and poverty. He was last seen in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Ana has moved to Mexico City on a humanitarian visa to
continue the desperate search for her son.