UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein speaks during a press conference in Mexico City on October 7, 2015. (AFP)
Mexico City:
The United Nations' human rights chief called on Mexico on Wednesday to set a timetable for the withdrawal of military forces from controversial police work.
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the ministers of defense and the navy told him that they themselves were not at ease with having their forces doing police chores.
Zeid recommended that President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration "adopt a timeframe for the withdrawal of the military from public security functions."
Drug-related violence surged in Mexico after then president Felipe Calderon deployed troops in late 2006 to crack down on organized crime.
Human rights organizations have accused soldiers of committing abuses while deployed on the streets of Mexico.
Separately, Zeid also urged the government to follow the recommendations of independent experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, who said prosecutors should follow new leads in the high-profile case of 43 missing students.
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the ministers of defense and the navy told him that they themselves were not at ease with having their forces doing police chores.
Zeid recommended that President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration "adopt a timeframe for the withdrawal of the military from public security functions."
Drug-related violence surged in Mexico after then president Felipe Calderon deployed troops in late 2006 to crack down on organized crime.
Human rights organizations have accused soldiers of committing abuses while deployed on the streets of Mexico.
Separately, Zeid also urged the government to follow the recommendations of independent experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, who said prosecutors should follow new leads in the high-profile case of 43 missing students.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
