Mexican Authorities Used 'Death Flights' During Dirty War

Truth commission report reveals chilling details of victims' last moments
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Aug 16, 2024 6:32 AM CDT
Mexican Authorities Used 'Death Flights' During Dirty War
Demonstrators march in remembrance of the 1968 Tlatelolco student massacre, an event considered part of the Mexico's "dirty war" when the government used its forces to suppress political opposition in Mexico City, Oct. 2, 2019.   (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

More evidence has surfaced that Mexican authorities got rid of dissidents' bodies via "death flights" during the 1965-1990 "dirty war." While the "death flights" that Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship carried out have been well established, far less is known about those conducted in Mexico, mainly in the 1970s from a small military airbase near Acapulco. A report released Friday by Mexico's governmental Truth Commission fills in some of the gaps.

It contains recollections by witnesses and leaked documents that detailed the unnamed victims' final moments. They were made to sit on a bench at a military airfield near Acapulco, supposedly to have their photo taken, but were instead were shot in the back of the head; their bodies were loaded on a plane and then dumped into the Pacific Ocean. This violent tactic was aimed at eliminating leftist and guerrilla movements.

According to Gustavo Tarín, who served in a military police unit, around 1,500 people could have been executed in this manner. He said soldiers used a single pistol so repeatedly that it was dubbed "the sword of justice." Military aviation mechanic Margarito Monroy admitted he participated in 15 such flights. Additionally, log books show around 30 flights from 1975 to 1979, while a two-decade-old statement from a military deserter mentions 25 more flights involving 183 likely victims. These log books are part of a detailed 4,000-page report by Mexico's Truth Commission, outlining nationwide abuses. The commission has urged investigations into some 600 potential perpetrators, despite official denial and destruction of relevant documents. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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