Extrajudicial killing by the Army in Puebla Video

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from an Animo-politico article

Subject Matter: Mexican Army murder civilian on video
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

A video reveals and alleged extrajudicial execution in Palmarito, Puebla; Sedena say they are already investigating the incident.

Army elements allegedly executed a person at point blank range during an operation in Palmarito Tochapan, Puebla, according to a video broadcast by Diario Cambio.

The video, taken by security cameras of a private house, shows the moment when the military fired at the vehicle, and extracted three men from it, one apparently wounded, forced them to lie on the ground and then shot one of them with a coup de grace in the back of the head.

In a statement released today May 10th, Sedena reported that the Federal Public Prosecutor will clarify the alleged extrajudicial murder in the video, and also determine precisely if it corresponds to the place and event of reference, as well as if the video is authentic or edited, and where appropriate, disclose the corresponding responsibility.




Even at the end of the video, the security camera that records them is dismantled by the army unit carrying out the murder. According to Diario Cambio, the video was recorded on the 3rd of May, when the military came to Palmarito to carry out an operation due to a report of chulpaductas ( literal translation is duct suckers ) syphoning fuel at that location.

Officials later reported that a military troop was conducting ground reconnaissance, when it was attacked with gunfire by a group of individuals moving round in five trucks, three of the armored, according to a statement from Sedena.

The uniformed men decided not to repel the aggression because of the presence of women and children, who were used as human shields. About 1000 troops backed by helicopters were deployed in the conflict zone.

Puebla is one of the States where there are the largest number of clandestine fuel tappings, estimated to cause losses of about 2 billion dollars a year to Pemex.

This is not the first time that the Mexican Army has been investigated for extrajudicial killings during operations, one of the most recent cases being in Tlatlaya.

The military response

In relation to the expose of the video in social networks that supposedly corresponds to the facts of the aggression that was carried out by military personnel in Palmarito. Sedena gave out the following information.

"The ministry of national defense reports that it was aware of the dissemination in social networks of the video, which shows events in which military personnel are attacked with gunfire from various vehicles, and carrying out the apprehension of some of the aggressors.

The same video captures the moment in which it seems that a military element is firing on an already subdued civilian, which must be investigated by the Public Ministry of the Federation of the facts, to determine with precision if it corresponds to the place and events of reference, as well as whether it is authentic or edited, and where appropriate to disclose those findings and the responsibilities.

The secretariat will collaborate in everything necessary with the Attorney General of the Republic, with the conviction that under any circumstances, if this in conduct contrary to the law of human rights, they will be sanctioned with vigour. For its part, the office of the Attorney General for Military Justice will carry out an investigation into crimes of any military action that may have been carried out.

Original article in Spanish at Animalpolitico