Reuters AlertNet Lite - Abuses possible in Mexico drug sweep--rights group

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Abuses possible in Mexico drug sweep--rights group

08 Feb 2007 00:22:46 GMT
Source: Reuters

MEXICO CITY, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Amnesty International raised concerns on Wednesday over President Felipe Calderon's use of troops to control Mexico's spiraling drug violence, fearing rights abuses and echoing worries of the United Nations.

In the two months since he took office, Calderon has sent the military into narco strongholds to try to weaken well-armed gangs and their lucrative drug trade, winning popular support.

While the bold move has won praise from the U.S. government, critics including the United Nations warn the crackdown could lead to more violence and that Mexico's shaky justice system is not strong enough to prevent rights abuses.

"For Amnesty International, there are various elements of concern ... When the army has become involved in police matters, it has committed many rights violations," Esteban Beltran, head of Amnesty International Spain, told a news conference.

"In Mexico today, the system of universal justice for human rights is in danger of extinction," Beltran added as he presented a report that accused the judiciary of torture, political oppression and racial and economic prejudice.

In January, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights also cautioned Mexico over potential rights abuses from having soldiers doing police work, as the government deploys soldiers to man roadblocks, disarm police officers accused of corruption, eradicate drug plantations and fight cartels.

Mexico's drug violence killed over 2,000 people last year as a vicious conflict between rival cartels over trafficking routes to the United States surged across the country.

Gunmen in the Pacific resort of Acapulco attacked two police stations this week, killing seven people in a midday attack. Last weekend, a man's chopped-up body was discovered dumped in plastic garbage bags in the city.

Amnesty International also accused police of rights abuses during the six-month long conflict in Mexico's historic Oaxaca city last year, where teachers and protesters fought to oust the state governor, accusing him of mismanagement and corruption.

Former president Vicente Fox vowed to clean up Mexico's rights record when his election in 2000 ended 71 years of one party rule, but was criticized in a report by Human Rights Watch for not fulfilling that promise.

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Last updated:Thu Feb 8 00:22:59 2007