MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – A Mexican judge yesterday convicted and ordered a soldier jailed in connection with the disappearance of a civilian in a northern border state, a legal milestone in a country torn by an almost decade-old war between security forces and drug gangs.
The unidentified soldier was given a sentence of 31 years for the kidnapping of the victim in May 2012 in the state of Nuevo Leon, according to a statement from the federal court system. The victim, also not identified, has not been located.
It was the first case in which a soldier was found guilty of the disappearance of a civilian.
A series of Supreme Court decisions since 2011 paved the way for civilian trials of military personnel, and lawmakers passed a law making the “forced disappearance,” or kidnapping by members of state security forces, a crime.
Mexico’s military has faced widespread accusations of human rights abuses including carrying out extrajudicial executions, torture and rape since former President Felipe Calderon ordered the armed forces to fight drug gangs in late 2006.
