Mexico urges Israel to extradite former investigator in 43 missing students case
AFP in Mexico City
Thu 22 Jul 2021 13.31 EDT
Mexico wants Israel to arrest Tomás Zerón, accused of kidnapping, torturing suspects, mMexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has urged Israel to cooperate in extraditing a former top investigator wanted in connection with the disappearance of 43 students in 2014.
Mexico wants Israel to arrest Tomás Zerón, who headed the Criminal Investigation Agency, over allegations of serious irregularities in the inquiry into one of the country’s worst human rights tragedies.
“I hope the government of Israel acts with respect for human rights, because the extradition of this public official is being requested, among other things, for acts of torture,” López Obrador told reporters.
In January Mexico said that Zerón was trying to obtain asylum in Israel, complicating extradition efforts.
Zerón is accused of kidnapping, torturing suspects, manipulating evidence and embezzling around $50m of public funds.
Zerón denies the allegations.
Israel has assured Mexico that it is not stalling the extradition process due to the Latin America country’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as some reports have suggested, López Obrador said.
The disappearance of the teaching students shocked Mexico and sparked mass protests against then president Enrique Peña Nieto’s government.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/22/mexico-israel-extradite-investigator-disappearance-43-students#_=_
Tomás Zerón