WOLA: Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas
31 Mar 2017 | Commentary

Mexico’s Internal Security, Security for Who?

Mexico’s Congress is considering a new law to expand and normalize the use of the Mexican military for internal citizen security. In the context of this debate, WOLA’s partner organization Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH) compiled a series of articles and resources by human rights and security experts that detail the consequences of further militarizing Mexico’s public security and approving the proposed Law on Internal Security (Ley de Seguridad Interior).

WOLA’s article “Mexico’s Law on Internal Security: Turning a Blind Eye to Military Abuses in Public Security Operations” is included in CMDPDH’s publication and underscores authorities’ inability and lack of will to investigate and prosecute soldiers implicated in human rights violations and crimes. The article asserts that approving a Law on Internal Security instead of focusing on police reform exposes the military to situations that could result in abuse at a time when Mexico lacks a justice system willing to investigate these crimes and human rights violations.

Click here to see CMDPDH’s full publication (available in Spanish only).