By Sovereign Hager
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its 4 year report on Mexico’s human rights record on Thursday. The Mexican Military was found to be ineffectively investigating reports of rapes, killings, and torture. In particular, HRW criticized the military’s use of only “dysfunctional” military tribunals to investigate allegations against soldiers, rather than civilian courts.
HRW researchers said that Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission, an autonomous government agency, received 1,230 abuse complaints against the military in 2008, as compared with 182 in 2006. HRW pointed out that until two months ago the government could not provide a single example of a soldier being convicted of human rights violations for the past 10 years.
Since 2006, President Felipe Calderon has deployed more than 45,000 soldiers in his fight against drug cartels which supply the U.S. drug market. The U.S. Government has supplied Mexico with $700 million dollars in training and equipment. Some of the aid is conditioned on State Department confirmation that Mexico meet human rights and police corruption goals.
Local sentiment in areas with high military presence appears increasingly hostile to the military. Three months after the military surge in the border town of Juarez, the military have been blamed for at least four deaths, eight disappearances, and the torture of many more.
Individuals who claim to have been abused by soldiers have similar stories. Among the dead is 21 year old Javier Rosales who was picked up by the military with his friend while walking to buy beer. The men were blindfolded, taken to a building, stripped, beaten with boards and dumped on a dirt road. Rosales was found dead from the beating the next day.
There have been more than 500 abuse complaints against federal forces since March, and all from individuals who are not on any arrest list. A lawyer who represents abused citizens says that the more impoverished areas are those most affected by abuse, as the military presence is greatest there. In these areas homes have been ransacked and possessions stolen by military.
As far south as Michoacan state authorities are furious that the federal government has arrested a slew of state officials and community members, including the mayor of Apatzingan without consulting the governor. Protesters have occupied the town hall and are demanding that the mayor be released. Protest signs read ” We demand the authorities respect individual rights”.
A military spokesman claims that 85 percent of the complaints have been resolved, though no details or time frame has been provided.
