Human Rights Watch condemns abuses, violations by Mexican military forces

The U.S. based Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization today condemned what it says have been human rights violations by Mexican armed forces in the five year old war against drug cartels. Launched in December 2006 by the administration of president Felipe Calderón, the unprecedented offensive against organized crime has cost at least 40,000 lives, according to some sources.

HRW said evidence indicates that Mexican military or police forces are responsible for at least 24 killings and 39 unsolved disappearances. It also claims that it verified 170 cases of torture, which occurred in the states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Nuevo León and Tabasco. "Instead of reducing violence, Mexico's 'war on drugs' has resulted in a dramatic increase in torture and other appalling abuses by security forces, which only make the climate of lawlessness and fear worse in many parts of the country," said a report by the organization.

The HRW findings were presented to president Calderón personally in Mexico City, where he reviewed and discussed them with directors of the organization.

HRW was particularly critical of the use of military courts to try accused members of the armed forces, arguing that they were overwhelmingly predisposed to acquit soldiers or to diminish the seriousness of allegations against the armed forces. "Government officials routinely dismiss victims as criminals and discount their allegations as false. As a result, victims and their families are left with the burden of doing the investigations themselves to clear the names of their loved ones," said the report.

One of the most controversial aspects of the Calderón strategy has been his use of the armed forces to root out organized crime organizations behind drug trafficking. Opponents say that since the narcotics trade is ordinary domestic crime, local and state police should be on the front lines, and the Mexican military should not be allowed to participate. But widespread corruption in local agencies and infiltration by the cartels necessitated his approach, argues Calderón.

HRW said it appreciates the severe challenges facing the country. "The Mexican government is confronting cartels which have committed horrific crimes against officials and civilians alike. But in responding, security forces need to be held to a different standard, not only because upholding rights is the correct thing to do, but also because it's critical for ensuring that public security efforts succeed."

Calderón was quick to respond to HRW. "Criminals present the greatest threat to human rights," he told a press conference after the meeting.

In late October, a Mexican court martial convicted and sentenced to long prison terms 14 members of the armed forces for crimes arising out of a 2007 case in which five people, including two women and three children, were shot to death at a roadblock in Sinaloa state. Last July Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice ruled that in future cases involving human rights violations committed by the military, civilian tribunals, rather than courts martial, will review the evidence: Military court martial convicts 14 in 2007 murder of Sinaloa civilians.