'Just Following Orders': Mexican Military Veteran Defends Torture He Oversaw Agence France-Presse
go to original May 9, 2016

Torture and ill-treatment in Mexico is out of control with a 600 per cent rise in the number of reported cases in the past decade, according to a report published by Amnesty International. (Amnesty International)

The Mexican military veteran recalls overseeing interrogations during which his men beat suspects, wrapped their faces in plastic bags to cut off their oxygen and jolted them with electric shocks.

Although the screams still haunt the retired service member long after he left the military, he remains unapologetic about using torture to find drug lords and rescue kidnapping victims.

It was the only way to break the code of silence of criminals who would otherwise refuse to speak, the 30-year veteran told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"The information obtained in those interrogations becomes intelligence," said the former official, who asked that his rank, military branch and location be omitted in order to speak freely about the torture sessions he witnessed.

The rough interrogations gave criminals "the same dose (of torture) they give" captured government forces, he said.

...The military veteran, who was deployed in some of the country's most dangerous regions near the US border, said he was "following orders" from above to torture suspects.

The army and navy did not respond to requests for comment about his claims.

Read the rest at Yahoo News

Related: Amnesty International Calls for Release of Woman Tortured in Mexico (Latin American Herald Tribune)

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