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After EL UNIVERSAL revealed Mexican soldiers ordered the execution of a civilian on July 3, the United Nations urged the government to investigate the use of lethal force during the shooting that killed 12 civilians and which took place in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
This newspaper released the footage on Monday. It shows the moment when a soldier ordered his subordinates to kill the shootout survivor .
The UN said “The images regarding the use of lethal force by Sedena officers are worrying and reflect the conduct that could constitute the excessive use of lethal forces and other human rights violations. These events evidence the importance of only deploying the armed forces under exceptional circumstances.”
Furthermore, the international organization asked the Attorney General’s Office to launch an exhaustive and impartial investigation to find those responsible for the alleged human rights violation against the civilians who died during the operation.
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Experts and human rights activists agreed with the UN and requested an investigation . They indicated that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s security policy is the same previous administrations used.
According to José Guevara, the head of the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH), “the security policy launched by the current administration hasn’t changed much compared to the policies implemented by the two previous governments. He [López Obrador] offered a security strategy where the military wouldn’t be part of the equation, but in reality, we not only have seen a continuation of the security policy but also the reinforcing of the military perspective.”
The expert said the CMDPDH has registered detentions, torture, and massacres carried out by the army during López Obrador’s administration.
Édgar Cortez, the head of the Mexican Institute for Human Rights and Democracy, said the incident reinforces the worries “human rights organizations have regarding the participation of the armed forces in the security tasks” because soldiers are “trained to face and enemy and kill him.”
Cortez asked the Mexican government to punish the chain of command involved in the July 3 attack and added that the federal government’s security policy is the same used in previous governments.
Mexico United Against Crime (MUCD) released a statement where it lamented the extra-judicial executions taking place throughout the country and blamed the lack of regulations for the armed forces.
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The Mexican army launches an investigation
This morning General Luis Cresencio Sandoval, the Defense Minister, informed that the Military Justice Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating the 24 soldiers involved in a shooting in Nueva Laredo, Tamaulipas. The experts will analyze the situation and determine if there was a crime.
During President López Obrador’s news conference, Luis Cresencio Sandoval said the Attorney General’s Office might continue with the investigation in case civil authorities are required to intervene.
He later clarified military authorities are investigating between 22 and 24 soldiers.
Interior Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero reacts
After the case sparked national outrage, Interior Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero said the investigation must continue and that those behind for the execution must assume their responsibility.
The victims’ families speak out
Raúl Tercero filed a lawsuit before the Attorney General’s Office against the Defense Ministry (Sedena) on July 11, in connection with the homicide of Damián Jenovés Tercero, his son.
Damián, who was 18, had been living in Nuevo Laredo for six months when he went missing along with his brother on June 24.
Days after his disappearance, the army presented him as one of the cartel gunmen who died on July 3. His brother is still missing.
This Monday EL UNIVERSAL revealed Damían and another two young men had been kidnapped and transported in the vehicle involved in a shooting with the Mexican army.
Since the victims’ families filed a lawsuit weeks ago, they haven’t received a response from the Attorney General’s Office. To this day, the Sedena hasn’t provided the information requested by the family, such as the number of vehicles involved in the attack and the names of the soldiers.
The families’ legal team also requested the army to present all the weapons used during the operation, asked for the soldiers to testify, and to place all those involved in the shooting under police custody. There has been no response.
Martín Alvarado, the families’ lawyer, says that the fact they haven’t received a response from authorities is a sign that the government is protecting the soldiers involved in the incident: "We’ve always known this. They have always protected each other. The Attorney General’s Office will never take legal action against the soldiers. This is why they delay and obstruct the administration of justice.”
Federal sources revealed the Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation and are analyzing the footage.
Alleged criminals
Eleven days after the incident, EL UNIVERSAL revealed that three civilians kidnapped by the criminals were present during the clash with security forces. The three victims were a migrant from Chiapas, a university student, and the third victim’s identity is still unknown. Although they were not cartel members, Mexican authorities included them among the 12 dead criminals.
The criminals tied up the victims' hands and feet. Two of them died as the result of gunshots in the chest. The third one was killed by gunshot in the head.
Moreover, photographs obtained by EL UNIVERSAL show that the three victims only received one gunshot each. In contrast, the alleged cartel gunmen received dozens of gunshots each.
The victims’ families filed a lawsuit against the Sedena a week after the shooting.
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