Use Of Army Against Gangs Criticised

February 2008 | Ratings Update

President Felipe Calderón's use of the military in the fight against the drug cartels has won the support of the Mexican people and Washington, but it has also earned the criticism of a number of human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International. The latest criticism comes from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which suggested that battling against heavily-armed warring drug gangs should be a police matter alone, despite the corruption that currently exists within many police forces, but Calderón has agreed to draw down the use of the military. Mexico's Human Rights Commission has also highlighted examples of abuses by a handful of the 25,000 or so soldiers.

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