A report issued on Monday by the Mexican Council of Bishops expressed concern over the militarization of many Mexican cities and venality among law enforcement. Human rights, the report argued, were increasingly at risk of violation because of the protracted presence of federal troops in Cuidad Juarez, and elsewhere.
The report comes in the wake of the murders of the 15 high school students in Juarez. Visiting the city shortly after the slayings, President Calderon was confronted by angry parents who blame him for their children’s deaths. By most accounts the president handled the criticism well, but refused to change his strategy of direct deployment of federal troops to the streets of Juarez. In fact, he proscribed an additional 400 troops to the city last weekend.
The language of the bishops report was measured. It noted that the president’s campaign still enjoys vast support throughout the country, but addressing Mexico’s plight should involve greater focus on public education, unemployment programs, and police reform.
Concern over drug violence has become more than a philosophical matter for Mexico’s clerical community. In 2009, as the violence spread out from the confines of gang rivalry, civilians—including priests—increasingly fell victim to the narco’s wrath.
Top druglords have been killed or arrested in the past year, but violence has yet to abate. And for all the arrests, few suspected narcos are convicted and sent to jail. Pointing to the inconsistencies of the government’s drug war, as this report does, is just the type of constructive criticism Mexico needs. It’s an unpleasant message for sure, but one that can help Mexico’s democracy reform.
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