NGO Sees Deliberate Mexican Government Plan to Extract Confessions Through Torture Jose Antonio Roman - La Jornada
go to original January 25, 2016

Torture, a well-established police technique in Mexico (France 24 English)

The proposed legislation against torture, sent by President Enrique Peña Nieto to the Senate in December is far from the recommended international standard, so there is no progress regarding the serious conditions the country faces regarding this offense, the Mexican Committee for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH) believes.

José Antonio Guevara, Executive Director of the agency, said that the presidential initiative that was sent to the Senate is both late and wrong, because the mandatory time frame Congress gave itself for approval [to pass implementing legislation], formally expired on January 7.

In presenting the conclusions of an analysis of the initiative, the human rights expert noted that the text sent by Peña Nieto proposes returning investigative powers to the Attorney General's Office (PGR), opens the possibility of granting amnesty or pardon for torturers, and does not require investigating the chain of command, so it is expected that "the carnival of impunity" will continue in the country.

Guevara said that even for those who do not know the subject extensively, the bill sent to the Senate for discussion and approval "turns out to be a joke", as there is no progress with regard to international standards, and it does not recognize the severity of the problem.

Given that only scarce and limited official figures exist on the subject, he said that in the country the crime isn't even investigated, let alone punished. He cited data obtained through multiple inquiries that revealed that between December 2006 and December 2014, the PGR has 4,404 registered complaints of torture, of which 1,200 involved members of the military. Despite this number, only just over a thousand preliminary investigations have been opened. The worst is that only 11 cases have been presented to a judge.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Related: Breaking the Silence: Sexual Violence Against Women as Form of Torture Has Increased (Mexico Voices)

Mexico Voices is a blogging endeavor aimed at raising the awareness of U.S. citizens regarding the destructive impact of the U.S. economic policy and the War on Drugs on Mexico — on its people, their economic and physical security and their human rights, on the nation’s dysfunctional justice system, and on the rule of law and Mexico’s fragile democracy. Visit the website at MexicoVoices.blogspot.mx

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