Alarming Increase in Torture Cases in Mexico, But Authorities Solve Less Than 1 Percent Elena Toledo - PanAm Post
go to original June 9, 2017

In Mexico, it's known simply as Atenco - a 2006 police crackdown on a protest in the town of the same name (Al Jazeera English)

Complaints of torture continue to be a problem in Mexico, having increased significantly over the last year.

Authorities appear to be the ones doing the torturing, new information from the country’s National Commission for Human Rights reveals, and its frequency has increased fives times since last year. The Attorney General’s Office has solved less than one percent of those cases.

The number of complaints increased from 43 in 2015 to 209 in 2016. That’s a growth of 386 percent. Between 2013 and 2014, the number of complaints had dropped to just five and seven cases, respectively, whereas in previous years the number of complaints ranged between 10 and 20.

Some have speculated that the increase in torture complaints is due to a change in the complaint registration system. However, others claim there has been stronger encouragement to report torture.

From 2010 to 2016, the CNDH has issued 68 recommendations about cruel treatment and torture for different government offices at both the federal and state levels. In five of those cases, the investigation was closed “due to lack of interest from the person who promoted it or because there is insufficient evidence.” The rest of the complaints are still unaddressed.

... Torture seems to be practically impossible to punish in Mexico. Between 2012 and 2016, only 22 cases were resolved or came before a judge.

Read the rest at PanAm Post | Español

Related: Mexico Rights Agency: 2 Suspects Tortured By Marines (Associated Press)

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