Submitted by crinadmin on
[MEXICO CITY, 4 November 2011] - In a rare punishment of military personnel, 14 Mexican soldiers and army officers were sentenced to long prison terms in the shooting deaths of five women and children at a checkpoint in the state of Sinaloa four years ago, authorities said. The number of human rights atrocities blamed on the military -- including killings, torture and the forced disappearance of civilians -- has soared since the start of President Felipe Calderon’s war against drug cartels five years ago. But few cases have been prosecuted. In the Sinaloa case, the family of Adan Abel Esparza was traveling to a funeral in a pickup truck in the summer of 2007 when they apparently failed to stop at a military checkpoint. Soldiers opened fire on the vehicle, killing three children aged 2, 4 and 7, and two women. The Defense Ministry, in a statement, described the incident as a “regrettable error." Nevertheless, a military tribunal sentenced the officer in charge that day to 40 years in prison for homicide and related crimes; another officer received a 38-year term, while 12 soldiers were sentenced to 16 years in prison. Further Information:
pdf: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/11/mexican-military-shoot...