A video appeared on social media yesterday in Mexico showing a military serviceman and an alleged federal police officer torturing a woman. In the scene the woman is abused and mistreated as a plastic bad is forced on her head repeatedly.
In response to growing calls to clarify the identity of the perpetrators and punish their actions, the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena) issued a statement reporting on the facts. In it, the Sedena specifies that the events occurred on Feb. 4, 2015, in the municipality of Ajuchitlán del Progreso, in the state of Guerrero.
The Sedena states it found out about the acts shown in the video last Dec. 10, 2015, immediately turning over the case to the Military Prosecutor’s Office Agent, who integrated the corresponding preliminary investigation to gather evidence to exercise legal action against involved personnel.
By Jan. 4, 2016, the preliminary investigation was shared with the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), so it could determine the responsibility in regards to to the affected civilian.
On Jan. 5, 2016, the Military Justice Attorney General followed through with the arrest warrant of one captain and one military police officer as alleged culprits of the crime of disobedience.
The official and the soldier are currently detained in a military prison for their crimes within the military order, having been sentenced to prison on Jan. 11, 2016.
The statement ends with Sedena and members of the Army and Air Force’s assurance to the Mexican people and the nation’s institutions of their commitment to loyalty. They said that they will strictly respect the rule of law and stated that in this specific case, and any in which military personnel violate the law or human rights, measures will be taken with rigor and forcefulness against those responsible.