Amnesty International has issued a strong condemnation of the recent decision by Mexican senators to legalize the militarization of public security in Mexico. This move is seen as a severe setback for human rights and a breach of both the Mexican Constitution and international treaties to which Mexico is a signatory.
The organization highlights that official data on serious human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, unlawful killings, torture, and inhumane treatment, demonstrates that the state’s public security policy over the past 16 years has significantly worsened the already critical human rights situation in the country.
The Senate’s approval to formally integrate the National Guard under the control of the Ministry of Defence (SEDENA) is considered deeply alarming and poses a significant threat to the protection of human rights in Mexico, Amnesty International stated.
Edith Olivares Ferreto, executive director of Amnesty International Mexico, expressed profound disappointment: “We deeply regret the Senate’s decision. The militarization of public security forces in Mexico over the last 16 years has yielded disastrous results. Instead of persisting on this detrimental path, we urge the executive branch to develop a plan for the gradual withdrawal of the armed forces from public security duties. Prioritizing the reinforcement of civilian police forces and the creation of public prevention policies is crucial to ensure public safety effectively. We must put an end to human rights violations and the pervasive impunity that enables them.”
Image: A Mexican National Guard vehicle, illustrating the militarization of public security forces in Mexico.
Established on May 27, 2019, the National Guard was intended to be Mexico’s primary public security institution, operating under civilian control through the Secretariat of Public Security and Citizen Protection. However, from its inception, the National Guard has faced criticism for its increasingly militaristic approach and the fact that over 70% of its personnel originate from the army or navy. Simultaneously, the National Guard has been implicated in numerous human rights violations. Between 2020 and 2022, over 1,100 complaints were filed against the institution with the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), citing serious crimes under international law, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, unlawful killings, and torture.
“We deeply regret the Senate’s decision. We have already seen the disastrous results of the militarization of public security forces in Mexico over the last 16 years.”
Edith Olivares Ferreto, executive director of Amnesty International Mexico
Building on this trend, on August 31, 2022, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposed legislative reforms to further entrench military control over the National Guard. These reforms aim to: 1) formally place the National Guard under the military command of the Secretary of National Defence; 2) permit active military personnel to serve within the institution without relinquishing their military roles; 3) mandate that high-ranking National Guard commanders be drawn from military positions; 4) stipulate that crimes committed by National Guard personnel, including those classified as crimes under international law and human rights violations, be adjudicated in military, rather than civilian courts; and 5) implement military training for all National Guard personnel.
Escalating Militarization
The reforms endorsed by the Senate represent the latest step in a series of legislative measures and proposals that have progressively ceded control of public security functions to the Mexican Military since 2006. This trend emerged within the context of the so-called “war on drugs.” This militaristic strategy for public security has proven to be disastrous for human rights. Mexico now faces a staggering crisis with over 100,000 people disappeared, and the army and navy have been repeatedly accused of widespread human rights abuses. SEDENA itself has been the subject of over 4,000 complaints of human rights abuses submitted to the CNDH since 2014.
Members of the Mexican Congress and Senate have disregarded international standards which stipulate that military involvement in public security operations should be exceptional and limited to specific circumstances. In light of these international norms, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and various other UN bodies have consistently voiced their concerns regarding the deployment of militarized army and police forces in public security roles in Mexico. These expressed concerns and recommendations have been ignored by the recent legislative decisions.
In its April 2022 report on Mexico, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances specifically urged the Mexican state to “abandon the militarized approach to public security,” deeming it insufficient and inadequate for safeguarding human rights. The committee further recommended strengthening civilian law enforcement agencies and establishing a clear plan for the organized, immediate, and demonstrable withdrawal of military forces from public security responsibilities.
The Human Cost in Numbers
Amnesty International, in collaboration with civil society organizations, has consistently warned against the failure of the militarized public security strategy in Mexico. Tragically, Mexico is demonstrably more dangerous today than it was 16 years ago. Homicide rates have surged by 218% between 2006 and 2022. In the past 16 years, over 100 journalists have been killed, with 15 of these killings occurring in the first eight months of this year alone. Furthermore, over 97% of the more than 105,000 cases of disappeared persons in the country have occurred after December 2006, coinciding with the intensification of militarized security policies.
Image: The logo of Amnesty International, the organization condemning the increased role of the mexican military in public security and its human rights implications.
Mexican military personnel have frequently perpetrated crimes under international law and serious human rights violations with impunity. From 2014 to the present, the CNDH has received at least 6,661 complaints of human rights violations attributed to SEDENA, SEMAR (the Ministry of the Navy), and the National Guard. Throughout these years, SEDENA, and increasingly the National Guard, have consistently ranked among the top 10 institutions with the highest number of human rights complaints.
Contact Information:
Alejandro Juárez Gamero (Amnesty International Mexico): prensa@amnistía.org.mx
Amnesty International press office (Amnesty International Americas): [[email protected]](mailto::[email protected])
