More than $1 billion in U.S. aid has done nothing to stem the rampant corruption and human rights violations within Mexican law enforcement, and lawmakers ought to rethink the flow of another $900 million in taxpayer dollars earmarked for south of the border, according to a new report from a Washington nonprofit. The aid is part of the 2007 Merida Initiative, which promised Mexico’s federal police force funds for equipment and training, but tied the money to efforts to curtail corruption and abuse within the vast department. But the Washington Office on Latin America found complaints to Mexico’s Human Rights Commission have exploded over the same time, rising to 802 in 2012 from 146 six years earlier. Although the authors recognize Mexico’s attempts to improve its dysfunctional criminal justice system, they found it has failed to root out corruption and human rights violations among its police officers. “As it determines with the Mexican government how to allocate the remaining $900 million in funds through the Merida Initiative [in the current fiscal year], the report recommends that the U.S. government prioritize efforts to strengthen accountability mechanisms for Mexico’s police,” wrote Maureen Meyer, the report’s author.
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 00:14:53 +0000
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