Mexico: three police officers charged with torture offences in 'landmark' case
Mexico: three police officers charged with torture offences in 'landmark' case
16 Apr 2015, 6:21pm
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Adrián Váquez Lagunes was close to death after his torture © Amnesty International
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Torture of Adrián Vázquez part of country’s so-called ‘war on drugs’
Three police officers have been charged with torture in Mexico’s northern state of Baja California following a campaign by a torture victim Adrián Vázquez Lagunes, his family and their lawyer, and supported by Amnesty International.
This is the first time torture charges have been brought in Baja California, a Mexican state notorious for torture cases. Torture charges against the security services are extremely rare in Mexico - at the federal level there have only been seven torture convictions since 1991 when torture was made a crime in Mexico.
Adrián Vázquez Lagunes was arrested, threatened, beaten and nearly asphyxiated during a 12-hour spell in state police custody in 2012. The Federal Attorney General’s Office later accused him of illegally carrying firearms and being a high-profile drug trafficker, while ignoring his allegations of arbitrary arrest, torture and fabrication of evidence. He remains in detention while his trial is ongoing despite the fact that the only relevant evidence against him was allegedly planted on him by the police.
After his arrest, Adrián Vázquez was examined by an official doctor, with the doctor concluded that the injuries Adrián sustained in police custody were not life-threatening and would heal within 15 days. Following this assessment, Adrián Vázquez collapsed and was rushed to hospital where he underwent life-saving surgery. The hospital’s medical report identified multiple injuries caused by beatings, including lung and bladder injuries and abdominal trauma.
More:
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/mexico-three-police-officers-charged-torture-offences-landmark-case
