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Mexico’s Proposed Security Law Draws Strong Criticism


A soldiers poses for a photo with a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe before the start of the annual Independence Day military parade in Mexico City's main square, known as the Zocalo, Sept. 16, 2017. Mexico is considering a law to give the military more
A soldiers poses for a photo with a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe before the start of the annual Independence Day military parade in Mexico City's main square, known as the Zocalo, Sept. 16, 2017. Mexico is considering a law to give the military more

Mexican Senate committees on Wednesday approved a controversial security bill that human rights groups say risks granting excessive power to the armed forces in their already checkered role in combating organized crime in the country.

The bill, which enjoys some cross-party support between conservatives and centrists, will now pass to the floor of the upper house of Congress for discussion and possible approval late Wednesday or Thursday morning.

The Law of Internal Security aims to regulate the armed forces’ role in combating drug cartels, a conflict which has claimed more than 100,000 lives in the last decade.

Senate committees approved the bill Wednesday, a senate spokesman said. Lawmakers who support the bill say it will set out clear rules that limit the use of soldiers to fight crime.

Rights groups have strongly attacked the bill, saying it prioritizes the military’s role in fighting the gangs over improving the police, and could open the door to greater abuses and impunity by the armed forces.

The military has been embroiled in multiple human rights scandals including extrajudicial killings of gang members and the disappearance of 43 students near one of its bases in 2014.

The United Nations, Amnesty International and Mexican human rights organizations have all criticized the bill.

“This law should not be approved quickly, it puts liberties at risk by giving more power to the armed forces without designing controls and counterweights,” said Santiago Aguirre from the Miguel Agustin Pro Center for Human Rights.

Last week, President Enrique Pena Nieto asked lawmakers to include civil society’s views in their discussion of the bill, which sparked attempts by protesters to bar access to the upper house of Congress when it reached the Senate.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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