Gral. Francisco Gallardo on a Mexican Military Ombudsman

FG
"Well, here Carmen, you make some reference to some of my previous work, from 21 years ago, if the Mexican Army and the government had taken as an axis of the civil-military relationship and the growing need for a military ombudsman, an institution of the Congress that would allow a grip of the military forces by this Institution. If that had happened, we would not be in this situation. The army today, is out of control, and besides, for all I 've read and everything I know, like for example, last Saturday, a Naval commander took possession of his post at Michoacán and all the civil entities were congregated as a large spectacle. Who is the main chief in Michoacán??

To me, it's clear and I will keep repeating this: The actual government is doing it so through the military zone commanders. This situation, needs a profound revision where the Union Congress, specifically the Senate who are responsible of what is happening, they are accomplices of what is happening in Mexico, there has to be a deeper revision, so that the Army returns back to it's barracks and to be subjected by the civil society on the state.

Unfortunately, the Mexican Army has fallen into this situation of doing police work and that function is exclusive of the civil authorities."

CA
"But the Army might say, we didn't ask for it, we were sent to the streets..."

FG
"Correct, so here the matter is, there's also a responsibility of the civil authority: Why isn't there a police force as written on the Constitution in Article 21, that is: a respectful police force fighting for the human rights, trained to promote social coexistence, protect citizens... Here's really easy for public power to redeem these forces for matters of social character, to redeem strikes, we're witnessing problems with the APO, we're looking at issues with the indigenous communities, like in '94 at Chiapas, and well, we could do a Guía Roji (Map Guide) of all the massacres that have been made and all of them are impune. And those that are actually happening today will remain impune. Why? Because there's an open policy of the public power, including the three powers, to cover up all the atrocities and the abuse of authority that the Army has committed against of the civil population. Therefore, I arrive to the conclusion this is a state policy where the only responsible one is Enrique Peña Nieto because he is Chief of State, Chief of Government, Chief of the Federal Security, Chief of National Security and ultimately, Chief Commander of the Armed Forces. So who's responsible? Enrique Peña Nieto..." General Francisco Gallardo