Mexico’s defense secretary has apologized after a video appeared online of a woman being tortured by two soldiers and a federal police officer.
General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda addressed the country in a televised address that suggested the extent of the outrage the video prompted.
“In the name of all who make up this great institution, I offer a sincere apology to all of society offended by this unacceptable event,” Cienfuegos said. He then urged soldiers and citizens to come forward to report other abuses.
Apologies by the army are rare. In the past, the military has tended to deny accusations of abuse yet the video recording made this impossible.
The incident occurred last February in the troubled southern state of Guerrero. It shows a woman having a gun pointed at her and a plastic bag held tight over her head.
Cienfuegos said such acts “not only denigrate us as soldiers but also betray the confidence that this institution has earned day by day.”
Human rights organizations have long accused Mexican security forces of torturing suspects in order to extract information or confessions.