A recent United Nations (UN) report on torture revealed great dimensions of widespread torture and corruption in Mexico. 

The report of the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez who collected the necessary data during his visit to Mexico in last spring, was presented to UN Human Rights Council on 10th of March.

 The report exposed that torture and ill-treatment in the country “occur in a context of impunity” and are used as a way “to inflict [detainees’] punishment or to extract confessions or information”. 

Based on the report’s findings torture methods include a combination of:

“punches, kicks and beatings with sticks; electric shocks through the application of electrical devices such as cattle prods to their bodies, usually their genitals; asphyxiation with plastic bags; waterboarding; forced nudity; suspension by their limbs; threats and insults”

Evidence showed that torture incidents involved not only police, ministerial police forces and the armed forces but also doctors, public defenders, prosecutors and judges who were either ignoring the victims’ complaints about torture or tolerating signs of it.

According to the report:

“Safeguards are weak, especially those for detecting and preventing torture in these first moments of detention […] Detention records and medical examinations are often inadequate and do not mention allegations or evidence of torture; there is inadequate monitoring of the legality of detention […] detainees are not given immediate access to an adequate defense [and their] statements are given without judicial oversight or the presence of a lawyer”.

The report also criticizes the government’s failure to protect human rights and prevent torture incidents across the country.

CITIZENS RIGHTS WATCH (CRW) expresses its concerns over the widespread torture in Mexico and asks for the respect of human rights!

We call the government to follow UN recommendations and take action against impunity for torture and ill-treatment within the country!

Source:

Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture - Mission to Mexico (A/HRC/28/68/Add.3) Available at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/LACRegion/Pages/MXIndex.aspx