Verdugos / Executioners: Brutal Murders and Other Secret Stories from the Military

Qu?hay alrededor de esa rotunda estad疄tica? En este libro intento trazar algunas respuestas a la luz del violento presente que vive el pa疄. A trav廥 de las p墔inas de este libro, el lector es testigo del dram嫢ico proceso mediante el cual un militar puede convertirse en un verdugo y c鏔o cualquier ciudadano est?a su merced.

Por medio de un eficaz estilo que amalgama periodismo narrativo, cr鏮ica y reportaje, Ana Lilia P廨ez aborda un tema crucial para entender el clima de inseguridad y vulnerabilidad que oprime a la sociedad: la actuaci鏮 del ej廨cito mexicano durante los timos a隳s.

La autora examina a detalle la violencia estructural de las filas castrenses y cuestiona frontalmente la impunidad en numerosos casos en los que se ha permitido que militares infrinjan la ley, violen los derechos humanos y ataquen a la poblaci鏮 civil, sin que haya ninguna consecuencia judicial.

En esta perspectiva, una de las historias centrales del libro es la de Delmer y Jos?David, dos adolescentes centroamericanos que en su traves燰 por M憖ico hacia Estados Unidos fueron asesinados a sangre fr燰 por un soldado, mientras dorm燰n al aire libre en una poblaci鏮 del estado de Coahuila. En la investigaci鏮 del crimen, se descubri?que el militar padec燰 alucinaciones en las que tres personas lo segu燰n y le mandaban mensajes por televisi鏮 para ordenarle que matara a la gente a su alrededor.

Con hechos como 廥te se retratan las entra鎙s de las fuerzas armadas y las dos caras de su disciplina, la cual se cimienta en una r璲ida educaci鏮, pero tambi幯 en abusos de poder, maltratos y humillaciones.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

Each year, 470 members of the army are admitted to hospitals after being diagnosed with mental illnesses.

What lies behind this stark statistic? In this book, I attempt to trace some answers in light of the violent present the country is experiencing.

Through these pages, the reader bears witness to the dramatic process by which a soldier can become an executioner--and how any citizen may find themselves at his mercy.

With an effective style that blends narrative journalism, chronicle, and investigative reporting, Ana Lilia P廨ez tackles a crucial issue for understanding the climate of insecurity and vulnerability that weighs on society: the actions of the Mexican army in recent years.

The author closely examines the structural violence within the military ranks and directly challenges the impunity surrounding numerous cases in which soldiers have been allowed to break the law, violate human rights, and attack the civilian population without facing any judicial consequences.

From this perspective, one of the book's central stories is that of Delmer and Jos?David, two Central American teenagers who, during their journey through Mexico toward the United States, were coldly murdered by a soldier while sleeping outdoors in a town in the state of Coahuila.

During the investigation of the crime, it was discovered that the soldier suffered from hallucinations in which three people followed him and sent him messages through the television, ordering him to kill those around him.

Through cases such as this, the book exposes the inner workings of the armed forces and the two faces of their discipline--built on rigid training, but also on abuses of power, mistreatment, and humiliation.