250 skulls found in Mexico’s Veracruz mass graveMarch 15, 2017 - 13:50 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Two hundred and fifty skulls have been found in a mass grave in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, says state prosecutor Jorge Winckler, according to BBC News. Speaking to TV network Televisa, Winckler said that drug traffickers had used Veracruz for many years as a dumping ground for bodies. He said only part of the site had been searched so far and did not rule out that more bodies could be found. According to Winckler, some of the remains could be years old. He told Televisa that "Veracruz is an enormous mass grave". "In my view, once we have opened all the mass graves in the state, [Veracruz] could become the biggest mass grave in Mexico, or even the world," he said. "For many years, organised crime disappeared people with the connivance of the authorities and they went and dumped them in mass graves created for that purpose." He also blamed the previous state government led by the now-fugitive governor Javier Duarte for not doing enough to find and identify the bodies of people reported as disappeared. However, he did not say when and by whom the remains had been discovered. Discoveries of mass graves are not unusual in Mexico. Following the disappearance of 43 students in Guerrero state and the subsequent search for them, scores of mass graves where found in that region. Winckler said that the former Veracuz governor who went on the run after a corruption investigation against him was launched was to blame for reports of disappearances not being investigated earlier. Relatives of disappeared people have long been campaigning for more to be done to help them find their loved ones. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |