autodefensas
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Mexico has a long history of community policing, but in more recent years a movement has emerged that focuses less on administering local justice than on protecting communities from outside forces. In 2011, the citizens of the town of Cheran, Michoacán rose up against criminals they claimed were illegally logging their forest. In addition to stopping
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Mexico’s plan to incorporate citizen self-defense forces known as “autodefensas” into its official security strategy in the state of Michoacán is going about as well as expected. While the militias had some success in rolling back the influence of the Knights Templar cartel in their state, their reputation has been marred by deadly infighting among various factions,
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Cross-posted with Conflict Journal This is a weekly roundup of events from 20 April to 26 April 2014. The UN Special Rapporteur for Torture, Juan Méndez, arrived in Mexico to begin an investigation into the country’s penal reforms and other aspects of the country’s law enforcement and justice systems. His visit is expected to last until May 2. Despite thousands
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Cross-posted with Conflict Journal This is a weekly roundup of events from 13 April to 19 April 2014 The Council of Self-Defense Forces of Michoacán (CAM), made up of leaders from 20 autodefensas, has agreed to a deal with the government, but as InSight Crime noted, “[t]he deadline is so far the only clear point” of the
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Cross-posted with Conflict Journal This is a weekly roundup of events from 6 April to 12 April 2014 This week, the LA Times called the spread of vigilante groups in Michoacán and other states “the greatest security-policy test of the 16-month-old” government of President Enrique Peña Nieto – a telling statement when one considers the situation in Tamaulipas state
Mike LaSusa 