Mexican army accused of drug war torture

MEXICO CITY, July 9 (UPI) -- The Mexican army used brutal tactics in its war on drugs, documents and interviews with victims, political leaders and human rights monitors indicate.

Local citizens and rights organizations relate instances when the government, led by the army, used harsh methods that terrorized residents across the country in battling drug cartels, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

In court documents, letters and interviews with defense lawyers, 24 police officers arrested in Tijuana on drug charges allege soldiers beat them, placed plastic bags over their heads, suspended them from ceilings and dunked them in water, and administered electric shocks to extract confessions.

Mexican officials conceded abuses have occurred, but said the cases were isolated.

The National Human Rights Commission has received more than 2,000 complaints about the army and has documented 26 cases of abuse, 17 of which involved torture, the Post said.

"What happens is the army takes (suspects) back to their bases -- and of course a military base is not a place to detain people suspected of a crime -- and they begin to ask questions," said Mauricio Ibarra, who handles investigations for the commission. "And to help them remember or to get information, they use torture."