The Mexican army & the excessive use of force

EL UNIVERSAL released a shocking video on Monday, where the excessive use of force and the manipulation of events by Mexican soldiers becomes evident.

Several soldiers shot a vehicle that was allegedly transporting criminals hundreds of times in Nuevo Laredo , Tamaulipas, on July 3.

During the video, a soldier orders his subordinates to stop shooting but they ignore the order, they obey a few seconds later when he repeats the order. The video also evidences how a soldier orders the execution of a survivor. However, the official version of the events tells a different story: that there were no survivors after the ceasefire.

Mexico entered a certain path in 2006, and it seems there is no way back: the militarization of public security. This path has had positive and negative effects. For example, soldiers and marines have arrested drug traffickers; nevertheless, the arrests haven’t decrease crime or homicide rates.

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National and International organizations have warned that the deployment of the armed forces for public security tasks could lead to the violation of human rights. Soldiers are trained to attack, kill the enemy, although sometimes it is uncertain who is their rival or sometimes they confuse a civilian with a criminal.

The Mexican army has had to go through a learning process to use its force rationally. After the government launched a training program, the human rights violation accusations against the army decreased by 91.1% between 2021 and 2018. The problem is the issue is not completely eradicated.

During the last three administrations, there are not many differences in the way the armed forces have acted. Although authorities have implemented special protocols, the use of lethal force is still there.

An investigation would be helpful for everyone, but especially for the army. Moreover, there must be sanctions amid the evident excessive use of force. This case has to set a precedent.

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