Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 8 november 2017

Report: Rights abuses by Mexican military largely unpunished

probes, limited access to rights violations by soldiers,
troops’ testimony and sol- such as torture, killings and
diers tampering with crime forced disappearances.
scenes or giving false testi- Critics say the Mexican
mony. military is not trained to
“This militarized public se- carry out policing activi-
curity model has nega- ties. However, many police
tively impacted Mexico’s departments in the country
criminal justice system. The are seen as corrupt, out-
civilian justice system faces gunned and even in ca-
challenges — including hoots with organized crime
military authorities’ actions gangs, and thus unreliable
resulting in the obstruction allies against the cartels.
or delay of investigations — One high-profile rights
which limit civilian authori- case involving the mili-
ties’ ability to sanction sol- tary was the 2014 killing
diers implicated in crimes of 22 suspected criminals
and human rights viola- by soldiers in the central
tions,” the group said. town of Tlatlaya. The mili-
The Attorney General’s Of- tary initially claimed they
fice, the Defense Depart- died in a fierce firefight, but
ment and other govern- evidence suggested there
ment offices did not imme- was no protracted shoot-
Soldiers stand in line as they prepare to board military vehicles at the Military School in Mexico City.
The vast majority of human rights abuses allegedly committed by soldiers waging Mexico’s war diately respond to requests out and some of the dead
on drug gangs go unsolved and unpunished despite reforms letting civilian authorities investigate for comment. appeared to have been
and prosecute such crimes, a report said Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. The military has played a executed.
(AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills) central role in the war on Seven soldiers were ac-
By PETER ORSI report said Tuesday. through 2016, a prosecuto- drug cartels since at least cused of homicide, but
Associated Press The Washington Office on rial success rate of 3.2 per- late 2006, when newly in- the charges were thrown
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Latin America study, de- cent. stalled President Felipe out by civilian courts due
vast majority of human scribed as the first compre- Moreover, there were only Calderon deployed sol- to lack of evidence. In Au-
rights abuses allegedly hensive analysis of military two “chain of command diers across the country to gust of this year, a judge or-
committed by soldiers abuse investigations han- responsibility” convictions fight the gangs. The mili- dered an investigation into
waging Mexico’s war on dled by the Attorney Gen- for officers whose orders tarized offensive has con- whether army command-
drug gangs go unsolved eral’s Office, found there led to abuses, it said. tinued under current Presi- ers played any role in the
and unpunished despite were just 16 convictions of The report said factors that dent Enrique Pena Nieto. killings.
reforms letting civilian au- soldiers in the civilian judi- hinder civilian investiga- During that time there The report said Tlatlaya is
thorities investigate and cial system out of 505 crimi- tions of the military include have been numerous ac- an example of a case in
prosecute such crimes, a nal investigations from 2012 parallel civilian and military cusations of serious human which military investigators
had access to the crime
Venezuela: scene and soldiers’ testi-
mony before civilian au-
Journalist says freed after 2 days held in captivity thorities.
“The Tlatlaya case illus-
trates that holding military
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) in a fight to improve his ately reveal his abductors, Natalie Southwick with the and civilian investigations
— A Venezuelan journalist country. fearing for his safety. He New York-based Commit- concurrently delays and
said Tuesday that he had Medina reports for DolarTo- said they detained him in a tee to Protect Journalists obstructs justice ... (and)
been released following day, an anti-government dark room with no food or called on Venezuelan au- shows that in military juris-
two days of captivity and website. Before he disap- water before dropping him thorities to conduct a full in- diction, cases of grave hu-
torture after photograph- peared, both the website off along a road. vestigation. She said ques- man rights violations also
ing criminal gang activities and the newspaper El Na- He thanked police for his tions remain about Medi- go unchecked or remain
inside a prison. cional had published Me- release. Both opposition na’s disappearance. unpunished,” the report
Freelance photojournalist dina’s photos taken from a politicians and government “It’s hard to know who may said.
Jesus Medina posted pho- hilltop overlook purportedly officials had expressed be responsible,” she said. Reforms in 2014 changed
tos on Twitter showing bruis- showing armed inmates concern about his disap- “We’d like to see a trans- how allegations of abuses
es on his face and body. patrolling inside the pris- pearance. A month earlier, parent investigation to by the military can be in-
“They tortured and threat- on along with marijuana authorities detained him find out who is responsible vestigated, including the
ened to murder me,” he crops, satellite dishes and and other journalists while for detaining and beating right to conduct a civilian
said, adding that he will a zoo. they were visiting the same him up and that they’re probe in such cases and
continue to report the truth Medina wouldn’t immedi- prison. brought to justice.”q for victims to participate. q