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Former mayor of Tijuana´s arrest may have been politically motivated

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Former mayor of Tijuana, Jorge Hank Rhon, was formally charged on Wednesday by Federal Prosecutors in Mexico with possession of prohibited weapons.  According to military officials, 88 firearms and between 8,000 and 9,000 ammunition rounds were seized in the raid of Hank’s vast compound in Tijuana.  Most of the guns were limited by law to use solely by the armed forces.

Former Tijuana mayor charged in weapons case (Photo courtesy of The Washington Post) Former Tijuana mayor charged in weapons case. (Photo courtesy of The Washington Post).

Hank’s attorneys have suggested that the confiscated weapons were properly licensed and legitimate methods to protect the former mayor’s business interests. They also stated that some of the weapons are thought to have been planted.

From 2004 to 2007, Hank served as the mayor of Tijuana. He is currently one of the country’s wealthiest men, having inherited his father’s fortune. His father, Carlos Hank Gonzalez, formerly served as the governor of Mexico and a powerbroker of the then ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Hank’s position as a major figure within the PRI, the now opposition party in Mexico, has led to allegations by its members that his arrest was a politically motivated move orchestrated by the conservative National Action Party, or PAN. PAN is currently President Calderon’s party and is far behind PRI in the early polls for the 2012 elections.

Hank’s arrest sparked a whirlwind of protests in Tijuana last week. Dressed in red and yelling “Viva Hank,” thousands of his supporters gathered demanding Hank’s release. One large banner read “The anonymous tip came from Los Pinos,” referring to President Calderon’s residence.

Calderon officials denied any involvement.

“There is no witch hunt, of course not. Every case is supported by evidence,” stated Mexico’s attorney general, Marisela Morales.

Columnist Martin Moreno was in support of Hank’s arrest. “Let’s not confuse ourselves, Jorge Hank Rhon … represents the PRI and is the emblem of the abuses, corruption and decadence of PRI-ism,” he wrote in his column in the Daily Excelsior.

Pablo Salazar Mendiguchia, former governor of Chiapas, joins Hank Rohn among politicians facing criminal charges. Mendiguchia was arrested in Cancun on Tuesday on charges of stealing $9 million from public funds before leaving office in 2006.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times World —Raid puts Mexican casino mogul in sympathetic light —12 June 2011

BBC News —Ex-Tijuana mayor Hank Rhon on weapon charges—8 June 2011

Los Angeles Times — Mexico authorities return former mayor to Tijuana to face arms charges —8 June 2011

The Washington Post —Former Tijuana mayor charged in weapons case —8 June 2011

Police Arrested in Mexico for Suspected Involvement with Zetas drug Cartel

by Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Police suspected of protecting Zetas drug cartel (Photo courtesy of Fox News)

PACHUCA, Mexico – 25 drug cartel members, including a police chief, two commanding officers and seven agents were arrested this week in central Mexico for suspected ties to the notorious Zetas drug cartel. Hidalgo Mexico officials stated that several of the authorities arrested have admitted to helping the Zetas.

The Zetas gang is a drug-trafficking organization in Mexico that is suspected of forcefully recruiting young migrants to battle the Gulf Cartel for control of territory and power. Those who refuse to fight are often killed or beaten.

The arrests began on Sunday in Hidalgo state after state officers were attacked while patrolling the town of Huejutla, said Martin Vivar, spokesman for the Hidalgo state attorney general’s office. After the attack, six alleged drug traffickers were arrested and admitted to have operated in the area with the aid and protection of local police.

Concerns over police corruption have constantly plagued the Mexican police system and have frustrated efforts to control drug trafficking– allowing drug gangs to carry out their violent crimes without repercussion.

On 21 May, gang members opened fire on the Café Iguana in downtown Monterrey. A squad of eight policemen rushed to the scene but only stood by and watched as gang members began loading dead bodies in the back of a truck. The officers involved are now being investigated but only one has been arrested.

In September 2009, 124 municipal, state and federal level police officers were detained in Hidalgo after being suspected of collaborating with the Zetas.

Low salaries, an absence of resources and threats from the cartels are the most cited reasons for police complicity and overall corruption in police ranks.

“Our police do not have anything to lose,” said Jorge Domene Zambrano, executive director of the Office of Public Security for the state of Nuevo Leon, which includes Monterrey. “That’s why they are very easy to be kept by the bad guys.”

Javier Trevino Cantum, the state’s secretary general, acknowledges the problem and states that feuding off drug gangs is going to be a major challenge. The government is planning on revamping laws that will make it easier to go after drug gangs and targeting poor neighborhoods with social programs to help fend off recruitment by cartels.

For more information, please see:

CNN Latin America — Mexican police chief, officers charged with helping cartels —2 June 2011

El Universal — Encarcelan a 124 policías de Hidalgo ligados a Zetas —14 Sept 2009

The Globe And Mail — Police turn blind eye to Monterrey drug cartels — 27 May 2011

Univision Noticias — Detuvieron a 25 presuntos ‘Zetas’, diez policías entre ellos — 1 June 2011

Amnesty Pressures Bahrain’s Allies to End Human Rights Crisis

By Eileen Gould
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain – Amnesty International has called on the allies of Bahrain to address the ongoing human rights crisis in that nation, in particular, the Bahraini government’s attempts to suppress peaceful demonstrations.  Bahrain: A Human Rights Crisis claims that those governments who have a close relationship with Bahrain must pressure the authorities there to end the crackdown on opposition forces.

A director of Amnesty International stated that “[North American and European governments] must be much more robust in pressing the Bahraini authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations.”

Since March of this year, protestors have been calling for the reform of the government.  On March 16, the Bahraini government attempted to suppress the protests by using shotguns, rubber bullets, tear gas, and in some instances, live ammunition.  The use of such weapons could not be justified.

Over five hundred people have been arrested in the past month.  Most of those arrested were Shi’a Muslim protestors.  Even now, no one knows where many of these protestors are located.  Some of those who have been detained were also tortured following their arrests. Four detainees died while in custody.

Among the detainees are medical doctors and nurses.  Although the exact reasons for their arrests are unknown, these individuals may have been arrested as a result of treating protestors, playing an active role in demonstrations, and criticizing the government.  In addition, protestors have also been fired from their jobs in government service and state institutions, including teachers and university lecturers.  These dismissals have been justified as breaches of their employment contracts.

The human rights organization states in its paper that “Bahrainis need to see their government acting decisively and transparently to reverse this downward trend and begin a process of rebuilding trust and confidence in its institutions.”.

For more information please see:
Al Jazeera – Rights Groups Slam Bahraini Crackdown – 23 April 2011

Boston Globe – Medical Workers Missing in Bahrain – 23 April 23, 2011

Amnesty International – Bahrain: International Pressure Needed Now to Halt Spiralling Human Rights Crisis – 21 April 2011

Amnesty International – Bahrain: A Human Rights Crisis – 21 April 2011

Healing the Wounds: Speech, Identity & Reconciliation in Rwanda and Beyond

Courtesy of Cardozo Program in Holocaust & Human Rights Studies

Colombian Judiciary Denies Allegations Of Bribery

By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Supreme Court President Camilo Tarquino holds press conference to deny bribery allegations (photo courtesy of Colombia Reports)
Supreme Court President Camilo Tarquino holds press conference to deny bribery allegations (photo courtesy of Colombia Reports)

BOGOTA, Colombia – On Tuesday, Colombia’s Supreme Court denied allegations that its judges were bribed by the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a now demobilized paramilitary organization, to elect Mario Iguaran as prosecutor general in 2005.

According to Supreme Court President Camilo Tarquino, the accusations are “preposterous and unthinkable.” During a press conference, Tarquin stressed that ” the election was carried out transparently,” also noting that “every time the court is working on something a new controversy arises to deflect attention from the real and important processes.”

The Supreme Court’s denial of the allegations comes after former Prosecutor General Mario Iguaran, the now Ambassador to Egypt, denied the allegations in a Monday press conference. Iguaran stated “for me it is no surprise that the embassy had noticed a rumor existed. I already knew the embassy had. I don’t see magistrates received money to elect me.”

According to a recently released WikiLeaks cable, the United States Embassy in 2008 expressed its concern about rumors regarding alleged bribes by paramilitary chief “Macaco” to secure Iguaran’s election. The reported rumors add to the 2010 testimony of an extradited AUC member who claimed that Macaco paid more than $2.5 million to Supreme Court magistrates to secure Iguaran’s election.

Iguaran served as the prosecutor general from 2005-2009 and was an a leading force behind the prosecution of politicians with ties to the AUC. Former presidential candidate Gustavo Petro has demanded a probe be initiated to investigate the allegations.

For more information, please see:

Colombia Reports –Supreme Court Denies Paramilitary Bribery Allegations – 1 March 2011

Inside Costa Rica – Colombia’s Ex-Attorney General Accused of Alleged Links to Paramilitary – 1 March 2011

Colombia Reports – Ex-Prosecutor General Rejects Paramilitary Bribe Claims – 28 February 2011