Friar Raúl Vera López, the Mexican Bishop of the Diocese of Saltillo (north), questioned the operations of the Mexican Army against drug trafficking. He said that the operations realize “Extra-judicial killing” instead of serving justice to the alleged criminals.
“What we see know is that the government is caring out operations in order to detain people who commit crimes which are turning into extra-judicial killing”, the Bishop remarked in a press conference last Saturday.
Referring to the Arturo Beltrán Leyva case, leader of a powerful drug cartel, who died in a Mexican Military operation on December 16th.
He also said, “the Mexican authorities are engaging in actions that were in force 100 years ago, during the Mexican Revolution, when they assassinated people, alleged delinquents, in place of court proceedings to pay for the crimes committed”
Beltrán Leyva was considered the third most sought after Mexican drug trafficker. After his death, paid assassins killed the mother and four family members of one of the military elements who died in the operation carried out the 16th of December.
He also emphasized that there exists laws that guarantee every person, regardless of the seriousness of the crime committed, accountable before the law for their actions. Stressing that the violence is serious and disturbing because government officials are not utilizing real intelligence services, therefore affecting civil society.
The head of the Catholic Church in the region of Saltillo, said that this approach is not only deficient but entirely wrong.
Sources:
AFP. “Obispo cuestiona al Ejército Por ‘ejecuciones extrajudiciales”. Univision. 26 Diciembre, 2009.
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