The military in Mexico acknowledged that 5 young people travelling in a minibus were killed on 26 February when soldiers opened fire.
According to Mexican media reports, the Ministry of National Defence confirmed that security forces opened fire on a minibus carrying 7 young people in the city of Nuevo Laredo in the state of Tamaulipas.
“A minibus with 7 people inside left the area with its headlights off and without a licence plate after hitting parked vehicles. Security forces opened fire on a suspicious minibus while conducting reconnaissance in the area.”
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The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that an investigation was launched into the incident in which 5 young people lost their lives.
On the day of the incident, a group gathered in the area reacted against the soldiers and attacked them with stones. The soldiers dispersed the crowd by firing into the air, and the tension continued throughout the day.
Reaction from human rights defenders
Raymundo Vazquez, President of the Nuevo Laredo Human Rights Committee, reacted against the members of the army in his statement on 27 February and said, “They carry out extrajudicial executions without warning to suspicious people and moving vehicles.”
Calling on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Vazquez stated that the Public Prosecutor’s Office should take action to investigate the abuses of the army.
