Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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872. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will condemn the treatment of 43 students participating in a demonstration in Mexico, who were rounded up by police and handed over to Guerros Unidos, a criminal gang, and not seen again; if he will offer his support to the Justice for the 43 Campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37341/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Firstly, allow me to reiterate my sympathies to the families of the 43 students who disappeared in Iguala, Mexico in September 2014. Those families need and deserve answers, and it is critically important that a full and comprehensive investigation of their disappearance be carried out.

Ireland fully supports the work of the Group of Independent Experts appointed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to investigate these tragic events. I welcome the agreement reached on 19 October between the Group of Independent Experts and the Mexican authorities to extend their investigating mandate. I also welcome the commitment by the Mexican authorities to appoint a new Special Prosecutor to continue the investigation and to work closely with the Group of Independent Experts in this regard.

Ireland, along with its EU partners, has urged the Mexican government to ensure that a comprehensive investigation into the events in Iguala in September 2014 takes place, and to continue to take steps to address human rights challenges in Mexico.

Ireland's Embassy in Mexico is actively engaged, in cooperation with EU partners, on human rights and civil society issues in the country, and participates in a constructive dialogue with Mexico on these issues through the EU-Mexico High Level Dialogue on human rights.