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Border & Immigration

Amnesty International Urges Mexico To Investigate Tijuana Torture Claims

A new report by Amnesty International says Mexican authorities have failed to fully investigate allegations that the military has abused human rights in the war on drugs.

The report cites the cases of 25 Tijuana police who accuse soldiers of torturing them into admitting their ties to organized crime. Tijuana's Police Chief julian Leyzaola rounded up the group last March and sent them to the military base for questioning.

The report also focuses on torture claims by four civilians who the army detained in Rosarito on kidnapping allegations.

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The Inter-American Human Rights Commission began investigating those cases last month.

Amnesty's report says the number of human rights abuse claims in Mexico have more than tripled from the beginning of 2008 through June of this year compared to the previous two years.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has sent about 40,000 soldiers to drug trafficking hot spots throughout Mexico. There's been concern that Claderon's reliance on the army to crackdown would lead to human rights abuses.