MEXICO AID SHOULD BE WITHHELD, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH SAYS

It calls on the Obama administration to not release tens of millions
of dollars under the Merida Initiative unless Mexico allows soldiers
accused of drug war abuses to be tried in civilian courts.

Citing alleged rights abuses by Mexican soldiers assigned to the drug
war, Human Rights Watch urged the Obama administration Monday to not
release tens of millions of dollars in withheld security aid unless
Mexico allows such abuse cases to be tried in civilian courts.

In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the
U.S.-based group said Mexico's military courts had failed to bring to
justice troops whom Human Rights Watch holds responsible for a
"rapidly growing number of serious abuses."

Under the $1.4-billion multiyear aid package known as the Merida
Initiative, the U.S. government is to withhold a 15% portion until
the secretary of State reports that Mexico is meeting certain human
rights conditions. One condition is that civilian authorities are
investigating and prosecuting alleged abuses by troops and federal
police "in accordance with Mexican and international law." Withheld
funds so far amount to more than $100 million.

The conduct of Mexico's soldiers has attracted growing scrutiny since
President Felipe Calderon launched a military-led crackdown on drug
traffickers 2 1/2 years ago. He has dispatched 45,000 troops to the
country's most violent trafficking zones. In places such as Ciudad
Juarez, they carry out basic police duties.

Rights advocates accuse soldiers of torture, rape, illegal arrest and
even killings. Mexico says it takes allegations against soldiers
seriously but it has insisted that, under Mexican law, only military
courts can try soldiers.

Mexican leaders reacted angrily last year when congressional
Democrats attached human rights conditions to the three-year Merida
package, which provides equipment and training. The requirements were
softened before the final package was approved.

In the western state of Michoacan on Monday, the bodies of at least
12 men bearing gunshot wounds and signs of torture were found near a
highway, authorities said.

Michoacan has been rocked by a turf war between a homegrown gang
known as La Familia and the Zetas, the armed wing of the so-called
Gulf cartel. Last week, four bodies were found near the same spot.

Over the weekend, gunmen carried out coordinated attacks against
police stations around the state, killing five federal officers,
after the arrest of a ranking La Familia figure.