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A spokesperson from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the organization was concerned that there will be impunity in the case of 22 people killed at the hands of Mexican military in the town of Tlatlaya.
“We are deeply concerned that almost two years after the commission of serious human rights violations in Tlatlaya in Mexico State, including the alleged summary execution of at least 12 people, the case remains mired in impunity and victims continue to be denied their rights to justice and the truth,” said U.N. spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
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Shamdasani further called for the investigation to include the possible role of high-ranking military officials in the alleged massacre.
“Investigations must be extended to examine all those who may be responsible, including higher-level military officers who may hold command responsibility, as well as those who may have tampered with or ordered the commission of acts to tamper with the crime scene,” she said.
The statement from the U.N. human rights group comes as three soldiers suspected of being involved in the incident were released from jail last week, citing a lack of evidence. A further four soldiers were released in October 2015 and had their charges dropped.
The death of 22 people in 2014 occurred during a military operation against an alleged group of armed civilians in the village of Tlatlaya.
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The National Human Rights Commission of Mexico reported that 15 people were killed by soldiers after they had already surrendered.
Shamdasani reminded officials that High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein was monitoring this case specifically “as a test of the authorities’ commitment to fighting impunity.”
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