:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/6S3FAD4QJLXIKHOWZKF7XAMSME.jpg "Mexican organizations have demanded a civil trial against the soldiers of Sedena for the massacre of Nuevo Laredo")
After the opening of investigations against at least four elements of the Ministry of National Defense (sedena) for his participation in the massacre of five young people in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipasvarious organizations have spoken out demanding that the matter be taken to the civil authorities.
By a declaration, the National Guard and Militarization Observatory in Mexicocomposed of organizations such as Causa en Común and Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad, expressed their rejection of the way in which, according to the information available, the military elements attacked the victims.
The project promoted by civil society organizations highlighted the contradictions between the official version of the Sedena and the story of a young man who survived the events that took place at the dawn of the February 26.
It should be noted that, according to the report of what happened presented by the company, the soldiers were guarding the area of Nuevo Laredo around five o’clock in the morning when they heard gunshots and headed towards their origin.
It was during this action that they saw seven individuals driving, apparently at high speed, in a van. On noticing the presence of the officers, the young people would have accelerated their walk “untimely and evasively” until they collided with a car.
At this time, after listening “a rumble” —who did not specify whether it was a gunshot or something that represented a risky situation—, the soldiers fired their guns.
“According to witness testimonies and news reports based on the homologated police report and expert investigations conducted and disseminated, members of the military fired repeatedly and for no reason against civilians,” the Observatory added in its statement.
This fact, which claimed the lives of five people, was considered a sign that “the use of the armed forces in public security tasks increases the danger of a greater number of human rights violations”.
In addition to this, the organizations that make up this initiative have called on the authorities to investigate the facts with impartiality, transparency and respect for both the victims and their families.
They also claimed “responsibility” to avoid impunity for these acts and asked that “be tried by civil authorities” because there has been no clarity regarding the jurisdiction that will conduct this case.
“We demand that the public security actions carried out by the Armed Forces be carried out with the presence and collaboration of the police forces.”
According to information shared by journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva, four of the soldiers involved in these actions have already been questioned by the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR). According to the information revealed by the investigations, they could be charged by the military for disobediencewhile civil authorities could isolate them for homicides and injuries.
It should be remembered that in Mexico, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) has determined since 2011 that the military jurisdiction would be inoperative In cases where the existence of violations of the human rights of civilians by the military. In these situations, the military elements must be sanctioned by the ordinary courts.
On the other hand, the Code of Military Justice establishes that the crime of disobedience is committed by “one who does not execute or respect the order of a superior, modifies it on his own authority or exceeds the limits in l ‘executor’. The person responsible for committing this crime could receive one to two years in prisondepending on the seriousness of their actions.