Do you think the Mexican military commits human rights violations?

Amnesty International does. It looks like Human Rights Watch does too. So do countless family members of those who have been “disappeared”, arbitrarily detained, tortured, or well, all of the above. Take Action On This IssueThe new report just released from AI includes some emblematic cases of human rights violations committed by the Mexican military….just in the past year. Keep in mind this report is in by no means exhaustive either. Many other NGOs have been documenting these types of cases for years, and it doesn’t look like things are getting better.

The Calderon Administration does have a tough job to do. Between combating the organized crime and drug cartels that have left some cities in a state of almost lawlessness, to working through the economic hardships that any current administration has felt, to dealing with high profile US/Mexico border issues… it’s a difficult task. Human rights have no borders though, so why has it been such a struggle to put human rights at the core of any and all governmental initiatives?

The National Human Rights Commission (of Mexico) received nearly 2,000 complaints of abuse by the military between January 2008 and June 2009. By comparison, there were 367 complaints in 2007 and 182 in 2006. An improvement? You tell me.

Kerrie Howard, Deputy Director of the AI Americas Program in London stated: “The cases that we have been able to investigate are truly shocking, but what is more shocking is that we know that this is only the tip of the iceberg.”

So if you want to do something about this, take action here.

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14 thoughts on “Do you think the Mexican military commits human rights violations?

  1. I clicked on a link that said "full article". Is this it? "Where is the meat?"

    The three statistics quoted are not even for comparable periods of time. And saying "You tell me" sounds very unprofessional.

    I am a 20-year Amnesty International member. We can, and must, do better than this "article" if we are to be taken seriously and influence others to take action..

  2. It is a bit on the broad side of what I'm used to seeing on AI. I would like to read some more details if they become available in the future.

  3. I clicked on a link that said “full article”. Is this it? “Where is the meat?”

    The three statistics quoted are not even for comparable periods of time. And saying “You tell me” sounds very unprofessional.

    I am a 20-year Amnesty International member. We can, and must, do better than this “article” if we are to be taken seriously and influence others to take action..

  4. It is a bit on the broad side of what I’m used to seeing on AI. I would like to read some more details if they become available in the future.

  5. AI Mexico published a report that may provide further details:
    available in English at

    http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR41/058/

    Mexico: New reports of human rights violations by the military
    "This report examines five separate cases involving serious human rights violations against a total of 35 individuals committed by members of the Mexican military"

  6. AI Mexico published a report that may provide further details:
    available in English at

    http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR41/058/

    Mexico: New reports of human rights violations by the military
    "This report examines five separate cases involving serious human rights violations against a total of 35 individuals committed by members of the Mexican military"

  7. AI Mexico published a report that may provide further details:
    available in English at

    http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR41/058/

    Mexico: New reports of human rights violations by the military
    "This report examines five separate cases involving serious human rights violations against a total of 35 individuals committed by members of the Mexican military"

  8. Hi Everyone. Thanks for your comments. The idea behind this blog post was not to be a policy brief or go into great detail, rather to call attention to a great report that was just released by AI on this topic. My hopes are that folks reading the blog entry would click on the link provided and read the report.

    Here is the link to the PDF just in case: (it's also the first link in the entry)
    http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/files/amr4

    I am new to blogging, so I will be sure to include some more detail in my next entry!
    -Katie

  9. Hi Everyone. Thanks for your comments. The idea behind this blog post was not to be a policy brief or go into great detail, rather to call attention to a great report that was just released by AI on this topic. My hopes are that folks reading the blog entry would click on the link provided and read the report.

    Here is the link to the PDF just in case: (it's also the first link in the entry)
    http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/files/amr4

    I am new to blogging, so I will be sure to include some more detail in my next entry!
    -Katie

  10. Hi Everyone. Thanks for your comments. The idea behind this blog post was not to be a policy brief or go into great detail, rather to call attention to a great report that was just released by AI on this topic. My hopes are that folks reading the blog entry would click on the link provided and read the report.

    Here is the link to the PDF just in case: (it's also the first link in the entry)
    http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/files/amr4

    I am new to blogging, so I will be sure to include some more detail in my next entry!
    -Katie

  11. AI Mexico published a report that may provide further details:
    available in English at

    http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR41/058/2009/en

    Mexico: New reports of human rights violations by the military
    “This report examines five separate cases involving serious human rights violations against a total of 35 individuals committed by members of the Mexican military”

  12. Hi Everyone. Thanks for your comments. The idea behind this blog post was not to be a policy brief or go into great detail, rather to call attention to a great report that was just released by AI on this topic. My hopes are that folks reading the blog entry would click on the link provided and read the report.

    Here is the link to the PDF just in case: (it’s also the first link in the entry)

    http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/files/amr410582009en.pdf

    I am new to blogging, so I will be sure to include some more detail in my next entry!
    -Katie

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