The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has pressed the Mexican government to thoroughly investigate the violent torture and sexual abuse of at least eleven women during a police crackdown in 2006. The crackdown happened during anti-government protests in the town of San Salvador Atenco. According to the New York Times, several women were “violently detained by the police, packed onto buses and sent to jail several hours away.” Eleven of the women filed a complaint with the IACHR, alleging they were raped and tortured by police and denied adequate medical care for days. They also argue they endured “years of threats, intimidation and psychological trauma” in their pursuit of justice.
The IACHR agreed with the women, finding the Mexican government, including its current President, failed to punish any of the perpetrators or adequately investigate the violence. It has sent its findings to the Inter-American Court, which could require Mexico to conduct “a much more thorough inquiry to uncover responsibility across the entire chain of command.”
Compiled from: Ahmed, Azam, Demand for Inquiry Into Police Abuse of Women May Embroil Mexico’s President, The New York Times (September 22, 2016).