Mexico City, April 19 (IANS/EFE) Three members of Mexico's Federal Police have been suspended in connection with last week's appearance of a video showing the torture of a woman in custody, the force's director said on Monday.
While only one Federal Police officer is seen in the video, two others who took part in the brutal interrogation were also suspended and placed under investigation, Enrique Galindo said.
"We have this exalted commitment to the citizens to serve and protect, and committing irregularities is not how you serve and protect the community," the Federal Police commander said in remarks to open the National Programme on Police Human Rights Training.
The defence secretariat said last Thursday that the two military personnel who appear in the video - a captain and a female MP - were already in custody awaiting trial.
The actions seen in the video "will not go unpunished," National Security Commissioner Renato Sales said Monday. "I offer a public apology for the acts."
The incident occurred on February 4, 2015, in Ajuchitlan del Progreso, a town in the southern state of Guerrero. In the footage, the three security force members are seen restraining a woman on the floor.
Initially, they put a plastic bag over her head so she is unable to see and pull her hair. Then the MP presses the barrel of her gun against the victim's head.
Later, they place a larger bag over her head and choke her for 20 seconds as she cries and thrashes about on the ground.
According to Amnesty International, complaints of torture in Mexico more than doubled between 2013 and 2014, climbing from 1,165 to 2,403.
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