JURIST - Paper Chase: Mexico human rights panel failing to curb abuses: HRW

[JURIST] Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) [official website, in Spanish] is not doing enough to promote remedies and reforms needed to end abuses, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said in a report [text; press release] released Wednesday. After examining the commission's work on more than 40 human rights cases, HRW said that CNDH often fails to push for accountability for human rights abuses by the military and other law enforcement institutions, effectively publicize cases of human rights abuse, or challenge laws and policies that violate international human rights standards. CNDH responded that many of HRW's accusations fell outside the scope of the agency's mandate.

Human rights groups have criticized Mexico's human rights record, especially in light of recent moves by Mexican President Felipe Calderon [official website; BBC profile] to use the nation's military in a crackdown on drug trafficking. Last month, in a report to the Mexican National Congress, CNDH accused the military of committing grave human rights abuses [JURIST report], including the torture, rape and murder of civilians. Last week, Amnesty International [advocacy website] also sent a letter [PDF text] to Calderon raising concerns about human rights violations committed by military personnel. The Washington Post has more.

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