Mexico's Dark Decade of Drug War Human Rights Abuses
Mexico's Dark Decade of Drug War Human Rights Abuses
Human rights violations go unpunished, the economic and political interests of criminality go unscathed, while the most marginalized suffer.
By Centro PRODH / Open Democracy
May 18, 2016
The criminalization of the sale and consumption of certain substances, under the model known internationally as ‘the war on drugs’, has been increasingly criticized in a variety of global forums due to its evident failure as a strategy to end the use and abuse of prohibited substances, as well as its impact in filling prisons with people accused of non-violent crimes.
When this model is adopted in a country where the rule of law, accountability or respect for human rights has not been consolidated, the negative impacts are multiplied. This is the case in Mexico.
The prohibition of numerous substances that are in high demand in the United States has made drug trafficking throughout Mexico one of the most lucrative businesses in the world. The million-dollar profits produced by this industry have massively fueled the growth, diversification and conflicts between criminal groups in Mexico. It is worth noting that these groups are often confused with broad sectors of the state in more than a few regions of the country, where the line between organized crime and the public sector has been blurred.
Given this reality, approximately a decade ago the federal government ushered in a new era, deploying tens of thousands of soldiers on the streets all over the country, even though neither the army nor the navy are institutions trained or legally authorized to perform public security tasks. Announced as a temporary measure to enable the purging and strengthening of the police corps, the militarisation continues in force today without any plan for its eventual termination.
More:
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/mexicos-dark-decade-drug-war-human-rights-abuses
