Torture 101

I don’t recommend watching this video, but this is what the wire service I’m not using is reporting as evidence of continual corruption of the Mexican police.  What has been edited out (probably not the reporters’ — E. Eduardo Castillo and Tracy Carl — fault) is that apparently an American citizen is “facilitating” the torture lessons.  For some odd reason, those news stories also quote a University of Virginia professor who is usually quoted on Mexican politics, but I don’t believe has any particular expertise in police matters.  Nor do I, but then, I don’t pretend to.

According to officials in Leon, quoted in Correo (Guantajuanto) by Gisela Chavolla and Laura Rodríguez, this is part of training for Leon’s Grupo Especial Táctico (“swat team”) — a local department.  Leon’s mayor, Vicente Guerrero Reynoso, admits the videos are highly disturbing, but says the instructions were to train police officers in resisting torture.

However, there is suspicion that the training could be used by police officers to learn torture techniques. Juan José Sánchez, in the same newspaper, reports that two more videos, which do show officers learning interrogation techniques involving torture (under the training of an English-speaking trainer… who, from the one video I’ve seen, does have an American accent).  Manuel Viadurri, the State’s  Human Rights Prosecutor, has opened an investigation.