In support of Amnesty International’s campaign against disappearances in Mexico, world-renowned singer and songwriter Sting met this weekend with relatives of some of the thousands who have gone missing in the country.

More than 26,500 people have disappeared or gone missing in Mexico in the last few years, almost half of them during the current administration of President Peña Nieto.

Sting said:

“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.

“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.”

Erika-Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said:

“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.

“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 a concert in Morelos state, south of Mexico City, Sting met with:

Brenda Rangel, sister of Héctor Rangel, disappeared since 2009. Héctor was last seen at a check-point manned by local traffic police in Querétaro in central México. Since her brother’s disappearance, Brenda has suffered acts of intimidation while trying to find him.

Lucía Baca, mother of Alejandro Moreno, who has been missing since 2011. He was last seen driving on a motorway in northern Mexico.

Guadalupe Fernández (“Lupita”), mother of José 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 Óscar López, who has been missing since 2010. Óscar 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.