AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL RELEASES REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 003641 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA DAS JACOBSON, MEXICO OFFICE DIRECTOR LEE, D STAFF CUE, AND INL HOHMAN. NSC FOR O'REILLY. E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR UN MX SUBJECT: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL RELEASES REPORT CRITICAL OF MEXICO FOR MILITARY ABUSES REF: Mexico 3627, Mexico 3617 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Amnesty International criticized the Mexican military for alleged human rights abuses in a report released on December 8. Referring to five emblematic cases involving murder, torture and illegal detention, the report faulted the Government of Mexico (GOM) for lack of transparency and civilian oversight and threats against victims and their families. President Calderon said that the GOM would examine the report but defended the military's record. The Embassy has developed a human rights strategy to engage the GOM and NGO community in a constructive dialogue on these issues (ref A) but at this point the two sides continue to talk past each other. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Amesty International (AI) released a report December 8 critical of human rights abuses by the Mexican military. According to the report, the Mexican army has murdered prisoners, tortured civilians and captured suspects illegally. The report conveyed its concern over a lack of transparency on cases, threats against victims and their families, and the military's insistence it retain jurisdiction over alleged abuses committed by the military officials. It highlighted five cases involving 35 individuals as emblematic of the military's human rights record. It also noted that complaints to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) against the military had increased from 367 in 2007 to over 2000 from 2008-June 2009. In the report, Amnesty International stated, "Human rights violations by the members of the military are not rare; they are frequent and in some areas routine. The failure of the civilian authorities to effectively oversee military law enforcement operations to ensure respect for human rights is a grave omission." ¶3. (SBU) President Calderon said his government would examine Amnesty International's findings but defended its respect for human rights and noted that the army had received human rights training. Jose Guevara, the Human Rights Director at the Interior Ministry (SEGOB),told Poloff that SEGOB is preparing a formal response that will state that it has asked CNDH, other federal agencies, and state human rights commissions to review the cases in the report. A representative from the office of the new CNDH President, Raul Plascencia, however, told us that CNDH did not intend to issue a formal statement on the report. ¶4. (SBU) The human rights NGO community's concerns regarding the military's involvement in human rights abuses goes to the heart of our human rights strategy. We and Mexico are discussing the creation of a bilateral human rights working group that would include representatives from SRE, SEGOB, SEDENA, and the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR). This working group would complement dialogue occurring within the context of a separate consultative working group on a broader agenda of defense matters including human rights. The Embassy also is working with NORTHCOM to strengthen and expand human rights training for the Mexican military. Finally, the Embassy has established an NGO roundtable with local human rights organizations to promote human rights changes in the areas of 1) investigating and prosecuting abuses, 2) improving transparency, 3) protecting human rights defenders, and 4) tracking commitments (ref A). MEXICO 00003641 002 OF 002 ¶5. (SBU) Comment: The release of the report by Amnesty International comes at a time when the GOM is under increased scrutiny by the international community and NGOs who argue that the military is ill-equipped for a domestic policing role. President Calderon's yet unannounced decision to replace the military with the federal police as the lead on law enforcement matters in Ciudad Juarez (ref B) is a positive development given our view of the military as a blunt-edged instrument ill-equiped to combat organized crime groups. We will continue our efforts to engage both the GOM and the human rights NGO community in expanded dialogue with a view to prompting more constructive exchanges between the two sides and ultimately greater transparency and accountability on specific cases. End Comment. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / PASCUAL