Global Post: Sunbathers stretch out along white beach after white beach on the sweltering Caribbean coast. Tequila-swigging revelers pack the glittering nightclubs wall to wall. Surfers carve up the Pacific waves.
Yup, that sounds like Mexico all right — but it’s actually been a summer like no other.
As the season draws to an end, officials here are boasting a bumper season in the country’s top resorts, including Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and Cancun, where hotels have been packed to the highest levels ever. Read more.
The MexicoBlog of the CIP Americas Program monitors and analyzes international press on Mexico with a focus on the US-backed War on Drugs in Mexico and the struggle in Mexico to strengthen the rule of law, justice and protection of human rights. Relevant political developments in both countries are also covered.
Showing posts with label rule of law - public security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rule of law - public security. Show all posts
Sep 2, 2014
Aug 17, 2014
Borderland Beat: Mexico questions travel alert issued by U.S.-cites EPN's "impressive results"
Borderland Beat: Mexico's government, questioned the travel alert issued by the United States in which it cites warnings of the risk of violence prevailing in 19 states. Mexico's position is that the information must be contextualized and detailed to be useful to US countrymen.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) pointed out that the security strategy of President Enrique Peña Nieto has achieved "impressive results", as reflected in the reduction of 22 percent in the number of incidents of kidnapping, compared to last year. Read more.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) pointed out that the security strategy of President Enrique Peña Nieto has achieved "impressive results", as reflected in the reduction of 22 percent in the number of incidents of kidnapping, compared to last year. Read more.
Aug 2, 2014
Mexico's New Gendarmerie: Security Game Changer or Window Dressing?
InSightCrime: With Mexico preparing to launch one of President Enrique Peña Nieto's signature security initiatives -- the gendarmerie -- a new report questions whether the force can have a genuine impact on the country's security situation.
The report, The Debate over Security Policy, Democracy, and Human Rights: the Case of the New National Gendarmerie, was written by Miguel Moguel, a human rights expert at the think tank Fundar Mexico. Moguel examines the gendarmerie from top to bottom, focusing on its justification, the context in which it was launched, and challenges it has faced, ultimately settling on a list of problems complicating the agency's contributions to a safer Mexico. Read more
The report, The Debate over Security Policy, Democracy, and Human Rights: the Case of the New National Gendarmerie, was written by Miguel Moguel, a human rights expert at the think tank Fundar Mexico. Moguel examines the gendarmerie from top to bottom, focusing on its justification, the context in which it was launched, and challenges it has faced, ultimately settling on a list of problems complicating the agency's contributions to a safer Mexico. Read more
Jun 10, 2014
Boomer Expatriates Demand Security
By fnsnews
Published June 3, 2014
Foreign-born residents joined Mexican nationals in a recent demonstration demanding security for a storied but troubled town. Dressed in white and carrying candles, about 400 people staged a silent march late last week through San Miguel de Allende in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato.
Ruth Kear, a former U.S. resident who currently lives in San Miguel de Allende, articulated public safety fears held by a growing number of residents which, in her case, is based on personal experience. Kear told a Mexican reporter that she had been robbed three times in her home, including on two occasions by armed and masked thieves.
“They put a pistol to my head and said, ‘Miss, do you want to taste the bullet?’” Kear was quoted. “I am afraid. Now I have many bad dreams. When I am in my studio, sometimes I see those men.”
The mounting complaints of insecurity contrast sharply with San Miguel de Allende’s commercialized image as a laid-back cultural and historic destination.
The cradle of Mexican independence, San Miguel de Allende was selected as the best city in the world in Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s 2013 reader’s choice poll. Classified by the Mexican federal government as among the nation’s “magic towns,” San Miguel de Allende has also been designated as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
Over the decades, the small city of 160,383 inhabitants (2010 Census), has attracted a sizable expatriate community drawn from North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. An estimated 14,000 local residents are foreign-born, mainly from the United States, but also from Canada, England, Japan, Colombia, and other nations.
Aging retirees from the baby boom generation who retired to San Miguel Allende stand out in the expatriate population. Read more.
Published June 3, 2014
Foreign-born residents joined Mexican nationals in a recent demonstration demanding security for a storied but troubled town. Dressed in white and carrying candles, about 400 people staged a silent march late last week through San Miguel de Allende in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato.
Ruth Kear, a former U.S. resident who currently lives in San Miguel de Allende, articulated public safety fears held by a growing number of residents which, in her case, is based on personal experience. Kear told a Mexican reporter that she had been robbed three times in her home, including on two occasions by armed and masked thieves.
“They put a pistol to my head and said, ‘Miss, do you want to taste the bullet?’” Kear was quoted. “I am afraid. Now I have many bad dreams. When I am in my studio, sometimes I see those men.”
The mounting complaints of insecurity contrast sharply with San Miguel de Allende’s commercialized image as a laid-back cultural and historic destination.
The cradle of Mexican independence, San Miguel de Allende was selected as the best city in the world in Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s 2013 reader’s choice poll. Classified by the Mexican federal government as among the nation’s “magic towns,” San Miguel de Allende has also been designated as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
Over the decades, the small city of 160,383 inhabitants (2010 Census), has attracted a sizable expatriate community drawn from North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. An estimated 14,000 local residents are foreign-born, mainly from the United States, but also from Canada, England, Japan, Colombia, and other nations.
Aging retirees from the baby boom generation who retired to San Miguel Allende stand out in the expatriate population. Read more.
Oct 15, 2013
Mexico's Streets of Fire
Newsweek
By Karla Zabludovsky
October 14 2013
As flames engulfed the policeman’s legs and arms, his comrades stood by watching, stunned. A steady barrage of rocks bounced off the wall of plastic shields flanking him.
By nighttime on October 2nd in Mexico City, 111 policemen, protesters and journalists had been injured and 102 people arrested during the annual march to commemorate a student massacre in 1968.
Street protests have long been a staple of Mexican politics and culture, a powerful outlet for millions of people who feel alienated from the political class. But over the last year, they have become more frequent, volatile and violent, analysts say, a response to major domestic policy shifts and growing alienation among the young and unemployed. The makeup of the protesters is also shifting, with men who refer to themselves as anarchists unleashing their fury during some marches. Read more.
By Karla Zabludovsky
October 14 2013
As flames engulfed the policeman’s legs and arms, his comrades stood by watching, stunned. A steady barrage of rocks bounced off the wall of plastic shields flanking him.
By nighttime on October 2nd in Mexico City, 111 policemen, protesters and journalists had been injured and 102 people arrested during the annual march to commemorate a student massacre in 1968.
Street protests have long been a staple of Mexican politics and culture, a powerful outlet for millions of people who feel alienated from the political class. But over the last year, they have become more frequent, volatile and violent, analysts say, a response to major domestic policy shifts and growing alienation among the young and unemployed. The makeup of the protesters is also shifting, with men who refer to themselves as anarchists unleashing their fury during some marches. Read more.
Jul 19, 2013
Mexico cartel leader's capture will have little effect on drug flow
LA Times
By Tracy Wilkinson
July 16, 2013
The capture of the top leader of Mexico's most bloodthirsty and bloodcurdling drug cartel will have surprisingly little effect on trafficking of cocaine and other illicit substances to the U.S., and on the violence that has claimed tens of thousands of lives here in recent years.
If anything, the violence, at least in the short term, may surge as rivals and potential successors of Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, alias Z-40, head of the Zetas paramilitary gang, battle to take his place or his turf.
But for President Enrique Peña Nieto, the capture is a small coup. The 7-month-old government, marking its first major strike against organized crime, probably hopes the early-Monday arrest near the border town of Nuevo Laredo will score points in the theater of public opinion and especially among skeptics who doubt the new leader's vague and sporadic security policy. Read more.
By Tracy Wilkinson
July 16, 2013
The capture of the top leader of Mexico's most bloodthirsty and bloodcurdling drug cartel will have surprisingly little effect on trafficking of cocaine and other illicit substances to the U.S., and on the violence that has claimed tens of thousands of lives here in recent years.
If anything, the violence, at least in the short term, may surge as rivals and potential successors of Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, alias Z-40, head of the Zetas paramilitary gang, battle to take his place or his turf.
But for President Enrique Peña Nieto, the capture is a small coup. The 7-month-old government, marking its first major strike against organized crime, probably hopes the early-Monday arrest near the border town of Nuevo Laredo will score points in the theater of public opinion and especially among skeptics who doubt the new leader's vague and sporadic security policy. Read more.
Apr 12, 2013
Worry grows over Mexico vigilante movement
Armed citizen patrols fighting drug cartel violence join forces with a radical teachers union in Guerrero state opposed to an education reform law.
The Los Angeles Times
By Richard Fausset and Cecilia Sanchez
April 11, 2013
Mexico City - Debate is intensifying over armed vigilante patrols that have sprung up in crime-plagued sections of rural Mexico, particularly in the state of Guerrero, where some patrols joined forces this week with a radical teachers union that has been wreaking havoc with massive protests, vandalism and violent confrontations with police.
The two groups, on the surface, would appear to have little in common. The vigilante patrols, typically made up of masked campesinos, are among dozens that have emerged in the countryside in recent months, purporting to protect their communities from the depredations of the drug cartels. The state-level teachers union, meanwhile, has taken to the streets to protest a sweeping education reform law backed by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
Their alliance was announced in a joint meeting Sunday. A leader of the vigilantes said they were joining with the teachers because it was the vigilantes' "watchword to fight against injustice." Read more.
The Los Angeles Times
By Richard Fausset and Cecilia Sanchez
April 11, 2013
Mexico City - Debate is intensifying over armed vigilante patrols that have sprung up in crime-plagued sections of rural Mexico, particularly in the state of Guerrero, where some patrols joined forces this week with a radical teachers union that has been wreaking havoc with massive protests, vandalism and violent confrontations with police.
The two groups, on the surface, would appear to have little in common. The vigilante patrols, typically made up of masked campesinos, are among dozens that have emerged in the countryside in recent months, purporting to protect their communities from the depredations of the drug cartels. The state-level teachers union, meanwhile, has taken to the streets to protest a sweeping education reform law backed by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
Their alliance was announced in a joint meeting Sunday. A leader of the vigilantes said they were joining with the teachers because it was the vigilantes' "watchword to fight against injustice." Read more.
Apr 8, 2013
Peña Nieto Reveals 2014 Security Budget
InSight Crime
Written by Claire O'Neill McCleskey
Peña Nieto's proposed $4.4 billion security spending plan for 2014 allots over a third of its budget to crime prevention.
Peña Nieto's 2014 budget plan of 54 billion pesos was outlined in a document sent by the Treasury Department (SHCP) to the Senate for consideration, reported Proceso.
A large proportion of the budget, nearly 20 billion pesos (around $1.6 billion) will go to "prevention and deterrence of crime." Meanwhile, $1.4 billion will go to the penal system, $122 million to the new gendarmarie police force, and $231 million to the intelligence services. Some $382 million will be distributed to states, municipalities, and the Federal District for public security.
The growth in the security budget for 2014 represents only a small increase over the projected inflation rate of 3 percent for next year, reported El Economista. Read more
Written by Claire O'Neill McCleskey
Peña Nieto's proposed $4.4 billion security spending plan for 2014 allots over a third of its budget to crime prevention.
Peña Nieto's 2014 budget plan of 54 billion pesos was outlined in a document sent by the Treasury Department (SHCP) to the Senate for consideration, reported Proceso.
A large proportion of the budget, nearly 20 billion pesos (around $1.6 billion) will go to "prevention and deterrence of crime." Meanwhile, $1.4 billion will go to the penal system, $122 million to the new gendarmarie police force, and $231 million to the intelligence services. Some $382 million will be distributed to states, municipalities, and the Federal District for public security.
The growth in the security budget for 2014 represents only a small increase over the projected inflation rate of 3 percent for next year, reported El Economista. Read more
Feb 2, 2013
A quieter drug war in Mexico, but no less deadly
The Washington Post
By Nick Miroff, Published: February 1
MEXICO CITY — As a tactical matter, the gangsters and government security forces fighting Mexico’s drug war have typically opted for the spectacular over the subtle.
Massacres, beheadings and other unspeakable cruelties became cartels’ preferred form of violence. In response, the government sent masked troops with machine guns to patrol Mexico’s streets and paraded its captured drug suspects on television like hunting trophies.
But in the past few months, that has changed. Mexico’s drug war has gone quiet.
Not less lethal. Just less loud.
The country’s drug-related homicide numbers remain essentially undiminished. More than 12,000 people were murdered last year in gangland violence, according to the latest Mexican media tallies, roughly the same number that were slain in 2010 and 2011. Read more.
By Nick Miroff, Published: February 1
MEXICO CITY — As a tactical matter, the gangsters and government security forces fighting Mexico’s drug war have typically opted for the spectacular over the subtle.
Massacres, beheadings and other unspeakable cruelties became cartels’ preferred form of violence. In response, the government sent masked troops with machine guns to patrol Mexico’s streets and paraded its captured drug suspects on television like hunting trophies.
But in the past few months, that has changed. Mexico’s drug war has gone quiet.
Not less lethal. Just less loud.
The country’s drug-related homicide numbers remain essentially undiminished. More than 12,000 people were murdered last year in gangland violence, according to the latest Mexican media tallies, roughly the same number that were slain in 2010 and 2011. Read more.
Nov 15, 2012
End police abuse in Juarez
El Diario de Juarez November 11, 2012
Translated by Borderland Beat
[Translator's note: There have been numerous news reports of police abuse in Juarez this past year, to the point that Police Chief Leyzaola recently pulled some surprise inspections in several police districts and ordered the release of dozens of detainees who had been arrested because of their physical appearance or because they did not have official identification on them when stopped by a cop. Although the number of homicides has declined measurably in Juarez, extortion, robbery and kidnapping appear to have increased. A big problem is that the police agencies have not earned the public's trust. --un vato] .
Trust in police agencies, an essential element if one wants to talk about consolidating advances in the area of public safety, will never be possible so long as its agents -- especially municipal police in their current phase-- abuse the citizen they were supposed to protect and become the criminals they are supposed to fight.
Any statistical gain from a decrease in criminal matters will be of little use if in the collective imagination an intervention by police generates fear instead of security.
It's no longer a matter of isolated cases. The complaints, the stories that have developed with police officers as antagonists of law-abiding citizens are a constant that does not allow any minimizing or dissimulation. Read more.
Translated by Borderland Beat
[Translator's note: There have been numerous news reports of police abuse in Juarez this past year, to the point that Police Chief Leyzaola recently pulled some surprise inspections in several police districts and ordered the release of dozens of detainees who had been arrested because of their physical appearance or because they did not have official identification on them when stopped by a cop. Although the number of homicides has declined measurably in Juarez, extortion, robbery and kidnapping appear to have increased. A big problem is that the police agencies have not earned the public's trust. --un vato] .
Trust in police agencies, an essential element if one wants to talk about consolidating advances in the area of public safety, will never be possible so long as its agents -- especially municipal police in their current phase-- abuse the citizen they were supposed to protect and become the criminals they are supposed to fight.
Any statistical gain from a decrease in criminal matters will be of little use if in the collective imagination an intervention by police generates fear instead of security.
It's no longer a matter of isolated cases. The complaints, the stories that have developed with police officers as antagonists of law-abiding citizens are a constant that does not allow any minimizing or dissimulation. Read more.
Nov 5, 2012
Calderon’s Pursuit of Developed Nation Status and Why it is Denied
Chivis Martinez, Borderland Beat:
Corruption, The Drugwar, Impunity and Inequality are Primary Factors
While addressing the US Chamber of Commerce last spring, Mexican President Felipe Calderon pitched the strength of the Mexican economy which he says experienced a growth rate of 1.5% CDP per year over the past two decades. It is his position that Mexico should leave the list of developing nations and join the ranks of developed countries. Read more.
Corruption, The Drugwar, Impunity and Inequality are Primary Factors
While addressing the US Chamber of Commerce last spring, Mexican President Felipe Calderon pitched the strength of the Mexican economy which he says experienced a growth rate of 1.5% CDP per year over the past two decades. It is his position that Mexico should leave the list of developing nations and join the ranks of developed countries. Read more.
Oct 29, 2012
Fearing drug cartel, Mexico village turns vigilante
By Laurent Thomet (AFP)
URAPICHO, Mexico — At the entrance of this western Mexican village, farmers in ski masks carry rifles as they man a checkpoint to protect their people, fearful that a drug cartel may strike at any time.
Urapicho, a hillside village surrounded by forests, corn fields and cow pastures, has become the latest community in the western state of Michoacan to take security in its own hands against the menace of organized crime.
The decision by the residents of Urapicho to turn into a vigilante village highlights the state of fear that many Mexicans live in amid a brutal drug war, and their distrust of local police.
"The barricade is there to prevent anybody who wants to hurt the population from coming in," said a 52-year-old corn farmer, who like others in Urapicho refused to give his name for fear of retaliation.
People in this village of 1,500 say they were at peace until the bodies of two suspected drug cartel members turned up on the road leading up to Urapicho in August. Read more.
URAPICHO, Mexico — At the entrance of this western Mexican village, farmers in ski masks carry rifles as they man a checkpoint to protect their people, fearful that a drug cartel may strike at any time.
Urapicho, a hillside village surrounded by forests, corn fields and cow pastures, has become the latest community in the western state of Michoacan to take security in its own hands against the menace of organized crime.
The decision by the residents of Urapicho to turn into a vigilante village highlights the state of fear that many Mexicans live in amid a brutal drug war, and their distrust of local police.
"The barricade is there to prevent anybody who wants to hurt the population from coming in," said a 52-year-old corn farmer, who like others in Urapicho refused to give his name for fear of retaliation.
People in this village of 1,500 say they were at peace until the bodies of two suspected drug cartel members turned up on the road leading up to Urapicho in August. Read more.
Jul 12, 2012
Villagers of Cherán tortured and killed; bodies left in Zacapu
Two more members of an indigenous community (Cheran) in Michoacan were kidnapped, tortured and murdered. Community members attempt to forcibly enter the state congress to demand security due to increased kidnappings and murders by organized crime rings.
La Jornada: Americas Program Original Translation.
La Jornada: Americas Program Original Translation.
See Spanish Original.
- They were kidnapped on Sunday; relatives hold responsible the settlers of El Cerecito
- The governor proposed that an operation is carried out in the area
- Protesters blocked the local Congress
- Community representatives met with officials from the Undersecretary of Government and the Attorney General of the Republic
Morelia, Mich., July 10th. Urbano Macías Rafael and José Guadalupe Gerónimo Velázquez, villagers of the still existent purépecha indigenous population of Cherán, were found dead today near the community El Pueblito, municipality of Zacapu.
The laborers disappeared July 8th, when they went to collect their livestock in a pasture. The bodies showed signs of torture and various shot wounds, reported the Regional Justice Attorney of Zamora.
This past Sunday, around 2:00 pm, Urbano Macías, of 48 years of age and Guadalupe Gerónimo, age 28, took a bus to the north of the community. Shortly after, the first one called via telephone to warn the inhabitants they had been kidnapped by the neighboring village, El Cerecito .
Their remains were found in a woody area of Zacapu, some 30 kilometers from Cherán. The city council mayor demanded justice from the state government and recalled that since the confrontation with loggers that took place April 15, 2011, 13 citizens have been kidnapped, five killed and more than six hurt.
At midday in the state capital, some 200 Cherán villagers occupied the local Congress to demand the government of the state to present their companions alive. The protestors prevented representatives, visitors and reporters from leaving the grounds.
- They were kidnapped on Sunday; relatives hold responsible the settlers of El Cerecito
- The governor proposed that an operation is carried out in the area
- Protesters blocked the local Congress
- Community representatives met with officials from the Undersecretary of Government and the Attorney General of the Republic
Morelia, Mich., July 10th. Urbano Macías Rafael and José Guadalupe Gerónimo Velázquez, villagers of the still existent purépecha indigenous population of Cherán, were found dead today near the community El Pueblito, municipality of Zacapu.
The laborers disappeared July 8th, when they went to collect their livestock in a pasture. The bodies showed signs of torture and various shot wounds, reported the Regional Justice Attorney of Zamora.
This past Sunday, around 2:00 pm, Urbano Macías, of 48 years of age and Guadalupe Gerónimo, age 28, took a bus to the north of the community. Shortly after, the first one called via telephone to warn the inhabitants they had been kidnapped by the neighboring village, El Cerecito .
Their remains were found in a woody area of Zacapu, some 30 kilometers from Cherán. The city council mayor demanded justice from the state government and recalled that since the confrontation with loggers that took place April 15, 2011, 13 citizens have been kidnapped, five killed and more than six hurt.
At midday in the state capital, some 200 Cherán villagers occupied the local Congress to demand the government of the state to present their companions alive. The protestors prevented representatives, visitors and reporters from leaving the grounds.
Jun 23, 2012
Oops! DEA and Mexican Authorities Admit Man Arrested is Not "Little Chapo"
On June 22 we posted a story that was all over the news in Mexican and U.S. sources, regarding the Mexican Navy's triumphant claim to have captured the son of "Most Wanted" drug kingpin, Joaquin Guzman "El Chapo". The announcement stated that the alleged son named Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar-- a wanted criminal in his own right--was nabbed thanks to U.S. intelligence in a wealthy neighborhood in Guadalajara.
Turns out it the announcement was wrong. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) came out with the announcement, forcing the Mexican government to eat its words--an act that causes severe indigestion, especially eating words right before elections--in this statement from the Federal Attorney General's Office:
“The past June 21 elements of the Ministry of the Navy presented two persons, one of which they considered could be Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar (…) after carrying out the necessary tests for identity, we have determined that the individuals presented are Félix Beltrán León and Kevin Daniel Beltrán Ríos, 23 and 19 years of age, respectively.”
Representatives from both governments did some very public back patting before having to own up to the error. Rusty Payne of the DEA called the capture "a victory in the battle against drug traffickers throughout the world" and congratulated the Mexican government.
The Mexican and U.S. governments have been looking for a way to bolster the shared drug war before the presidential elections July 1. President Felipe Calderon's party runs a distant third in the polls, partly due to the political cost of the war on drugs that has sparked widespread violence that has taken the lives of more than 50,000 people in the country, with tens of thousands more disappeared. The bust of the son of El Chapo was just the break they could use to tell a skeptical public that the governments are making headway in the war on organized crime. When it became known it was false, skepticism deepened.
The families of the two young men detained are demanding justice, stating that they fear their sons are the victims of a media stunt by the Federal Government. The governments, incredibly, after admitting their mistake still insist that the arrest of the two young men is a serious blow to organized crime--indicating that the families' contentions that their sons are being railroaded have some merit in the presumption of guilt.
The mainstream media is trying to spin its way out of the confusion sowed by the false claims. This McClatchy article reports on the mistake and then bends over backwards to assert out of nowhere,
The case of mistaken identity just weeks before the presidential elections made "Confirma la DEA" (the DEA confirms) the instant favorite hashtag among Mexican tweeters. A sample of the hundreds of tweets under tag include: "The DEA confirms... El Chapo is laughing his head off at 'government intelligence'", "The DEA confirms... El Chapo has almost as many illegitimate children as Peña Nieto" , "The DEA confirms... the Mexican authorities are idiots", "The DEA confirms... I am REALLY hungry", etc.
Laura Carlsen
Turns out it the announcement was wrong. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) came out with the announcement, forcing the Mexican government to eat its words--an act that causes severe indigestion, especially eating words right before elections--in this statement from the Federal Attorney General's Office:
“The past June 21 elements of the Ministry of the Navy presented two persons, one of which they considered could be Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar (…) after carrying out the necessary tests for identity, we have determined that the individuals presented are Félix Beltrán León and Kevin Daniel Beltrán Ríos, 23 and 19 years of age, respectively.”
Representatives from both governments did some very public back patting before having to own up to the error. Rusty Payne of the DEA called the capture "a victory in the battle against drug traffickers throughout the world" and congratulated the Mexican government.
The Mexican and U.S. governments have been looking for a way to bolster the shared drug war before the presidential elections July 1. President Felipe Calderon's party runs a distant third in the polls, partly due to the political cost of the war on drugs that has sparked widespread violence that has taken the lives of more than 50,000 people in the country, with tens of thousands more disappeared. The bust of the son of El Chapo was just the break they could use to tell a skeptical public that the governments are making headway in the war on organized crime. When it became known it was false, skepticism deepened.
The families of the two young men detained are demanding justice, stating that they fear their sons are the victims of a media stunt by the Federal Government. The governments, incredibly, after admitting their mistake still insist that the arrest of the two young men is a serious blow to organized crime--indicating that the families' contentions that their sons are being railroaded have some merit in the presumption of guilt.
The mainstream media is trying to spin its way out of the confusion sowed by the false claims. This McClatchy article reports on the mistake and then bends over backwards to assert out of nowhere,
While the latest arrest remained a puzzle, it’s clear that U.S. and Mexican authorities are tightening a noose around Guzman and his family.The only proof offered for this supposedly "clear" factoid, is that arrest orders have been issued for Guzman's other sons and that El Chapo was "nearly captured" in Los Cabos last February. As we reported here, the near capture (he apparently escaped through the basement door of a private residence) looked more like another case of El Chapo thumbing his nose (or winking his eye) at authorities, since it took place in Los Cabos when the entire area was heavily militarized due the visit of Hillary Clinton and other foreign ministers for a run-up meeting to the G20 summit.
The case of mistaken identity just weeks before the presidential elections made "Confirma la DEA" (the DEA confirms) the instant favorite hashtag among Mexican tweeters. A sample of the hundreds of tweets under tag include: "The DEA confirms... El Chapo is laughing his head off at 'government intelligence'", "The DEA confirms... El Chapo has almost as many illegitimate children as Peña Nieto" , "The DEA confirms... the Mexican authorities are idiots", "The DEA confirms... I am REALLY hungry", etc.
Laura Carlsen
Apr 11, 2012
Gallup poll: Mexicans more afraid to walk alone at night
Los Angeles Times: " Mexicans' trust in their military and national police has steadily declined since 2007, the first full year of President Felipe Calderon's war against drug cartels, a new Gallup poll says.
The poll released last week also finds that most Mexicans said they felt less safe walking alone at night in 2011 than they did in 2007.
The findings suggest that two key points of perception in Mexico's conflict -- safety and confidence in authorities -- have eroded since the start of the military-led campaign in late 2006.
In the poll, 56% of Mexicans said they didn't feel safe walking alone at night in their city or neighborhood in 2011, in contrast to 57% who said they felt safe walking alone at night in 2007.
The poll shows a steady decline of confidence in the military, from 64% in 2007 to 58% in 2011. Only 38% of respondents expressed confidence in the government in 2011, and 35% said they trusted the federal police, down significantly from 50% in 2007, Gallup reports." read more
The findings suggest that two key points of perception in Mexico's conflict -- safety and confidence in authorities -- have eroded since the start of the military-led campaign in late 2006.
In the poll, 56% of Mexicans said they didn't feel safe walking alone at night in their city or neighborhood in 2011, in contrast to 57% who said they felt safe walking alone at night in 2007.
The poll shows a steady decline of confidence in the military, from 64% in 2007 to 58% in 2011. Only 38% of respondents expressed confidence in the government in 2011, and 35% said they trusted the federal police, down significantly from 50% in 2007, Gallup reports." read more
Mar 20, 2012
Threats to Journalists: Car bomb explodes in parking lot of Tamaulipas newspaper The Express
La Jornada: "A car bomb exploded in the parking lot of the newspaper El Expreso, in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of the state of Tamaulipas, in northeast Mexico, damaging six vehicles of workers at the newspaper. No injuries were reported. According to military sources in the capital of Tamaulipas, the explosion occurred around 8:15 PM on Monday," Spanish original
Mar 7, 2012
Drug War and Human Rights: Mexico senate approves bill to create registry of disappeared and missing persons
La Jornada: "By unanimous vote yesterday, the Senate approved the National Data Registy Act for Missing or Disappeared Persons, as well as reforms to the National System of Public Security which have the objective of developing a manual for citizens to know how to respond to checkpoints and police and military operations or in case of crimes.
The National Date Registry of Missing or Disappeared Persons aims to create an information bank about people in that condition and follow up on reported cases. The Act specifies that there shall be publicly accessible means and email addresses to receive the information that citizens provide. It will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and may be consulted by telephone or by a website that is designed for that purpose. In addition, the responsible authority may request the assistance of the media and support by mobile phone companies to communicate information through text messages.
The approved legislation also notes that the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) reported from 2006 to April 2011 a total of 5,397 persons reported as lost or missing and 8,898 dead who have not been identified by the authorities...." Spanish original
The National Date Registry of Missing or Disappeared Persons aims to create an information bank about people in that condition and follow up on reported cases. The Act specifies that there shall be publicly accessible means and email addresses to receive the information that citizens provide. It will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and may be consulted by telephone or by a website that is designed for that purpose. In addition, the responsible authority may request the assistance of the media and support by mobile phone companies to communicate information through text messages.
The approved legislation also notes that the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) reported from 2006 to April 2011 a total of 5,397 persons reported as lost or missing and 8,898 dead who have not been identified by the authorities...." Spanish original
Drug War and Human Rights: One million 600 thousand people displaced in Mexico
La Jornada: "While the government of Mexico continues not to recognize the existence of forced internal displacement caused by its war strategy against organized crime, it is increasingly difficult to determine the real dimension of the phenomenon and assist victims. So scholars and specialists in the field warned during the last day of activities for the "Day of Training in Internal Displacement", organized by the National Commission on Human Rights.
Sebastian Albuja, representative of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the federal government is responsible for resolving the lack of data and reliable statistics on this subject, but has not done so because that would imply its admitting that there are displaced persons as a result of its public safety strategy, and that would be political suicide.
Laura Rubio, a researcher at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, said the lack of accurate statistics on the number of internal displaced persons makes it difficult to attend to the matter, and makes the phenomenon continually grow worse.
Oscar Torrens, director in Chiapas of the United Nations Program for Development, said that the armed conflict in Chiapas in 1994 generated 25,000 displaced people in that state, who to date have received virtually no attention, although there is a law in the state Congress which would help analyze the issue.
Leticia Calderon, Mora Institute specialist on immigration issues, said to admit the large number of internal displaced persons in the country--it is one million 600 thousand according to the company Parametría--would imply that the government admits its responsibility." Spanish original
Sebastian Albuja, representative of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the federal government is responsible for resolving the lack of data and reliable statistics on this subject, but has not done so because that would imply its admitting that there are displaced persons as a result of its public safety strategy, and that would be political suicide.
Laura Rubio, a researcher at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, said the lack of accurate statistics on the number of internal displaced persons makes it difficult to attend to the matter, and makes the phenomenon continually grow worse.
Oscar Torrens, director in Chiapas of the United Nations Program for Development, said that the armed conflict in Chiapas in 1994 generated 25,000 displaced people in that state, who to date have received virtually no attention, although there is a law in the state Congress which would help analyze the issue.
Leticia Calderon, Mora Institute specialist on immigration issues, said to admit the large number of internal displaced persons in the country--it is one million 600 thousand according to the company Parametría--would imply that the government admits its responsibility." Spanish original
Mar 6, 2012
Drug War: Mexican business association calls the security situation of the past six years “Regrettable”
The Mexican business community has been largely absent from policy discussions about the drug war and its consequences for the country. Here, the new president of the Mexican Business Association speaks out. Translation by Mikael Rojas, Americas Program intern
In his first press conference as president of the Mexican Business Confederation (Coparmex), Alberto Espinosa Desigaud said that due to the climbing violence, businesspeople have been exposed to robbery, kidnapping, extortion, and murder. “It is fundamentally a matter of government policy, and not just at the federal level,” he added.
“If we only rely on the actions of the federal government to generate better results, then we are really on the wrong path,” remarked the Coparmex head who was elected on February 29th, replacing Gerardo Gutiérrez Candiani.
Espinosa Desiguad blamed state and municipal governments for not correctly adjusting their budgets to address security issues. He said, “If the cities and towns, where these unfortunate occurrences principally take place, were making better use of their resources, being better prepared, adding more police, and had more trustworthy agencies, the results would be different.”
The businessman insisted on the necessity of rooting corruption out of police forces. “Today, the police in several states and towns are complicit; it’s clear that we have been operating like this for many years. We ask that there be less corruption in the police and a greater sense of responsibility on behalf of the authorities to take action to prevent complicity with criminal activities.”
Espinosa Desiguad acknowledged the pressures that municipal government officials are exposed to when it comes to confronting organized crime, but reaffirmed that they cannot continue to put aside what needs to be done. He also maintained that municipal level politicians need to do a better job of protecting themselves, along with the state and federal governments.
Espinosa Desigaud also stated that the global economic turndown has had an impact on the levels of violence in Mexico. He claimed that if national economic growth were at 6 percent annually, and the required number of jobs were generated, that the bloodshed could decrease.
Regarding the agenda that the business group will pursue following his swearing-in as president, Espinosa said that Coparmex will concentrate on promoting a quality education system for all Mexicans, supporting citizen participation in democratic processes, developing proposals to strengthen public security, and starting an action program to stimulate the economy.
Finally, Espinosa Desiguad announced that all of the partners of the organization will take to the streets all around the country in order to promote informed voting, to help oversee the electoral process, and to demand that politicians comply with their promises.
However, he emphasized that Coparmex is a non-partisan organization and will not endorse any single candidate or party, adding “we will be very quick to question all of the candidates about their concrete proposals for achieving the great changes that our country requires.” Spanish original
Drug War and Human Rights: Violence expels thousands, says Mexico's Human Rights Commission
La Jornada: "The president of the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH), Raul Plascencia, said the increase in internal displacement caused by the violence generated by the fighting between criminal orgainizations and public safety forces "is a phenomenon that must be eradicated; since 2006 it adds up to tens of thousands of people in states such as Tamaulipas, Michoacan and Sinaloa , and in places like Ciudad Juárez there are almost 150,000.
He stressed, there are 20 thousand displaced by violence in Chiapas since 1994. This phenomenon, the national ombudsman said, has to be documented and the violence that causes people to have to change residence within the country--or even to leave our borders--has to be prevented. Other displaced by violence, Plascencia Villanueva said, are people who flee from their nations, as is the case with Guatemala." Spanish original
He stressed, there are 20 thousand displaced by violence in Chiapas since 1994. This phenomenon, the national ombudsman said, has to be documented and the violence that causes people to have to change residence within the country--or even to leave our borders--has to be prevented. Other displaced by violence, Plascencia Villanueva said, are people who flee from their nations, as is the case with Guatemala." Spanish original
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