A Mexican activist has launched a hunger strike here in New York City to call for the indictment of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and the return of the 43 students missing in Mexico for 18 months. Leobardo Santillán has launched similar actions in Dallas and Houston. He began his fast Monday in a plaza near the United Nations. Ahead of his fast, Santillán spoke in Times Square, where he went to show support for Antonio Tizapa, the father of one of the missing students, who ran Sunday’s New York City Half Marathon. Santillán explained the reason for his hunger strike.

Leobardo Santillán: “We are taking action because of the double standard in Washington, that has privatized, and they are pleased the corporations are in Mexico. And really, it’s a double standard of the United Nations. They have become an organization of delinquents, an organization of mercenaries, that serves the corporations. And we are very bothered because of the U.S. double standard, to say they are going to get rid of ISIS, and we have ISIS over here in Los Pinos [the Mexican presidential residence]. The Mexican government and the cartels are working together, and the new cartel is the cartel of Peña Nieto.”