Posted on 05/13/2009 6:53:35 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
NUEVO LAREDO - In a rare move, the national military prosecutor's office has arrested 12 soldiers in the Mexican Army, including four officers, and will court-martial them on charges of murder in the deaths of three Nuevo Laredoans missing since March 14.The bodies of Miguel Ángel Gama Habif, Israel Ayala Ramírez and Aarón Rojas de la Fuente were found buried in a clandestine grave about 60 miles south of Nuevo Laredo, near the town of Vallecillos in the neighboring state of Nuevo Leon.
Raymundo Ramos Vásquez of the non-profit Human Rights Commission in Nuevo Laredo said the remains were exhumed April 28, and returned to their families on Saturday, May 9, after an extensive forensic examination.
The three men were buried Sunday in the Jardín de los Ángeles cemetery.
After the three men disappeared in March, family members saw two soldiers riding in one of the missing men's car. The family filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, which took up their cause.
The complaint was accompanied by photographs and videos presented by Dulce María López Duarte, wife of Gama Habif. The visuals and statements were sent to the military prosecutor's office and to President Felipe Calderón's office.
"It was surprising that they answered, and more so that they opened an investigation," Ramos Vázquez said Tuesday.
According to the complaint, the three men were stopped by soldiers on Federal Highway 85 at the 14-kilometer marker. The soldiers had a safe house near the intersection of Canales and Río de Janeiro, where the three men were taken for interrogation, according to the complaint.
They were never seen again by their families.
"Two soldiers were seen in Gama's vehicle," Ramos Vásquez said. "This was ... evidence that the soldiers had the three victims."
It was those two soldiers who, after their arrest, took authorities to the place where the three men were buried near Vallecillos, Ramos Vásquez said.
A brief news release from the National Defense Secretary's office confirmed the arrests and the upcoming trial before a military tribunal, but did not name the 12 men arrested. It did state that the 12 were based along this border and said they had all testified before the military prosecutor.
The national military prosecutor's office said one of the 12 was a high-ranking officer, three others were of lower rank and the remaining eight were rank-and-file troops.
At the Army headquarters in Nuevo Laredo, no one would comment on the arrests or the accusations made by the deceased's family.
According to Ramos Vásquez, the general in charge of the Army headquarters in Nuevo Laredo has previously denied that any of his soldiers were involved in the detention of the three missing men.
"We did not detain them. We do not act like that. We stick to the law and when it's indicated, we facilitate investigation by authorities," the general is quoted as saying on April 1.
The general, André Fullòn, could not be reached Tuesday.
In a news release, Ramos Vázquez said he sought the help of national and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, in going public because the accusations involved the military.
He also praised President Calderón for his Defense Secretary's decision to bring the 12 soldiers to justice in the case of the "detention, torture, disappearance and homicide" of the three Nuevo Laredoans.
Were they Jewish Hispanics? With names like Habif, Israel, and Aaron?
Ping!
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The national military prosecutor's office said one of the 12 was a high-ranking officer, three others were of lower rank and the remaining eight were rank-and-file troops.Hey Barry, Holder and Hillary, take note -- THESE are the people YOU are giving BILLIONS of dollars to and a gazillion MILITARY GRADE WEAPONS. They ain't going to a Wally World in Bisbee, AZ for Rocket Launchers, Grenades and 'Machine Guns' you asshats. They're getting that stuff from YOU!!!
So wake up numb-skulls, the entire Mexican military is corrupt to the bone.
Habif is the man's mother's maiden name. Gama is the man's paternal family name. Israel and Aaron are very common Christian baptismal names in Mexico.
Thanks.
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