By The Opinion
Members of the Madres Buscadoras de Jalisco collective reported having been threatened by armed individuals while carrying out search tasks in an alleged safe house in the municipality of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco.
According to reports, the events occurred on April 18, in a property they went to after receiving anonymous information about possible clandestine graves on the spot. Upon arrival, they found that the property—which had presumably already been identified by authorities—was open, abandoned and without official security.
While carrying out the tracking tasks, at least nine armed men arrived at the site on motorcycles and vehiclesdirectly confronting and intimidating the members of the group, which generated a high-risk environment, according to media such as the newspaper La Jornada.
The searchers requested immediate support from the authorities; However, they reported that the response was late. According to his testimony, security elements, including the National Guard, took approximately 40 minutes to arrivetime in which they remained exposed and unprotected.
The group pointed out that during that period they experienced moments of fear and uncertainty in the presence of armed individuals, and accused that this type of threats reflects the lack of security conditions for those who search for missing people in the country.
Besides, They demanded that the authorities guarantee permanent accompaniment during their daysas well as securing and investigating the property where the events occurred, since it showed signs of having been used by organized crime groups.
The Searching Mothers stressed that their work should not involve putting their lives at risk, and reiterated their call for effective protection to continue locating their missing relatives.
In Mexico, groups of relatives of missing persons—made up mostly of women—carry out search tasks in the absence of official results, frequently facing threats, violence and even murders.
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