In what may go down as a major turning point in the movement to end Mexico’s drug war, Human Rights Watch published a report on Wednesday exposing the fallacies supporting this military-led offensive.

The 212-page report titled, “Neither Rights Nor Security: Killings, Torture, and Disappearances in Mexico’s ‘War on Drugs,’” surveyed 5 Mexican states, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Nuevo Leon, Baja California, and Tabasco, and found 233 instances of human rights abuses at the hands of Mexico’s security forces. These include: 170 cases of torture, 39 “disappearances,” and 24 extrajudicial killings.

“Instead of reducing violence, Mexico’s ‘war on drugs’ has resulted in a dramatic increase in killings, torture, and other appalling abuses by security forces, which only make the climate of lawlessness and fear worse in many parts of the country,” said Human Rights Watch’s Americas Director José Miguel Vivanco.

Recent attacks on students and journalists in Ciudad Juárez (as shown in the photo above) illustrates how such a heavy-handed approach from police often turns violent, sometimes in broad daylight.

Possibly the most damning of Human Rights Watch’s findings was data that contradicted Calderón’s often repeated 90 percent figure on drug war deaths. Of the 35,000 deaths officially recognized by the PGR, 997 have been investigated. Of those, only 22 defendants have been convicted for homicide or other crimes. Such figures call into question the very legitimacy of Calderón and this drug war being fought on civilian streets.

Read Neither Rights Nor Security. [Español] More on the report here.

Photo: VivirMexico