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Mexican military accused of murder in Nuevo Laredo
Uniformed Soldiers of the Mexican military have been accused of shooting and killing unarmed civilians, including an American citizen, Gustavo Ángel Suárez Castillo, in Nuevo Laredo on February 26th. Mr. Castillo had six friends in his truck with him when four vehicles filled with armed men began chasing and firing at them.
The shooting was described by survivors as a cold-blooded execution. Five of the men were killed and two were severely injured. The Mexican soldiers involved in the encounter have been arrested, and the case is under investigation by civilian prosecutors and the military.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 With more than 20 shots, the Mexican military killed 5 unarmed youth, including an American, in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. The men were on their way home in a pick-up truck when soliders began firing. One man survived the attack & is in serious condition in the hospital. 😡😞🧵 <a href="https://t.co/GOJ14crUmw">pic.twitter.com/GOJ14crUmw</a></p>— Voices in Movement (@VIM_Media) <a href="https://twitter.com/VIM_Media/status/1630281397360291841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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The military in Mexico has taken responsibility for civilian security after President Andrés Manuel López Obrador dissolved the federal police, which was considered corrupt and unable to curb the country’s rampant violence. The military has also been given a rapidly expanding portfolio of businesses, such as a new international airport and a major rail line, which has raised concerns about the military’s growing footprint.
The Defense Ministry, which is under the command of an active-duty general and is not required to report on its activities publicly, is often accused of human rights abuses. Cases of civilian deaths at the hands of the army almost never go to trial.
The UN has called for an independent investigation into the Nuevo Laredo killings, citing the military’s history of excessive use of force in the city.
The National Commission on Human Rights found that the soldiers fired 117 rounds during the incident even though the victims did not brandish a weapon. The initial military statement implied that the men in the pickup were armed and had not heeded orders from soldiers. However, Alejandro Encinas, a top federal government human rights official, contradicted the claim, stating that “they were executed.”
Lawyers representing the families of the dead and the survivors have accused the army of covering up details of the incident. They claim that the soldiers removed the truck’s license plates to support their accusation that the men were behaving suspiciously.
A survivor reported being forced at gunpoint to tape a confession that the men had fired on the soldiers first. A week after the attack, soldiers visited the home of one of the survivors in an attempt to intimidate him into silence.
The military has expanded beyond its main security mission to participate in various lucrative businesses. However, such responsibilities give the military the ability to raise money on its own, which could undermine Mexico’s balance of power. In Nuevo Laredo, the military’s history of abuses has created deep resentment. The survivors and the families of the dead men are represented by an advocacy group, the Committee of Human Rights in Tamaulipas, which is accusing the military of unnecessary violence against civilians.
