The National Guard (GN) ordered an internal investigation to be launched into its own elements to identify and punish those responsible for having issued or shared messages on the WhatsApp application, in which decisions made by the military high command are criticized, such as the personnel relays on the roads of the country, or the use of the guards to chase migrants or monitor welfare banks.
All state commanders (headed by the military) and their intelligence areas were even ordered to monitor the messages that elements of the institution spread on social networks under the argument that “they question the good image of this public security institution.”
Said orders were given through an office with the character of “extra-urgent” dated October 29 and addressed to all state commands, which was signed by the General Staff Diplomate Cavalry Colonel and Chief of Intelligence Section of the GN, Napoleón Jiménez Amezcua, on behalf of the Retired General Commander of the GN , Luis Rodríguez Bucio.
In the document, to which Political Animal had access, it is noted – by the signatures of the military officials – that were the intelligence areas of the Army those that identified in messaging services and social networks the dissemination of the messages of alleged elements of this corporation exposing criticism of the recently implemented strategies.
It is even said that the matter was addressed through an urgent “teleconference” of which no further details are given, but which resulted in the order to identify the authors of the messages, apply the corresponding corrections and monitor the issuance. from other messages. This with strict adherence, it is specified, to respect for human rights and the National Law on the Use of Force.
The lawyer Adriana Herrera, a specialist in military law and the Armed Forces said that these documents (of which she was shown copies) prove the intervention of areas such as the National Defense General Staff in a public security corporation, but also open the door to espionage activities on its own troops by the military apparatuses responsible for it.
This medium asked the National Guard for an official position on these events and to know, for example, what corrections were taken against the elements responsible for the messages. Until the publication of this note, no response has been received.
The message that upset the Army
According to the office formed by Jiménez Amezcua, during the tasks of “monitoring social networks” that are routinely carried out by the personnel of the Intelligence Sub-Chief of the National Defense General Staff (an instance of the Sedena), a message was detected in the messaging application “WhatsApp” where decisions made about the National Guard were criticized.
The document transcribes in four pages the content of said message entitled “Let’s not throw in the towel.” It begins by criticizing the replacement of former federal police officers within the National Guard who were assigned to security tasks on highways in Jalisco and Guanajuato, and their replacement by military police.
Next, the message refers to the four actions that Mexico is obliged to comply with within the framework of the Sectorial Program for Communications and Transportation 2020-2024, and questions whether the military in charge of the National Guard can meet this objective.
“Comrades, do you really believe that General Secretary of Defense Crescencio Sandoval, who is the intellectual architect of this tear called the National Guard … is interested or aware of all this? Of course not. What they want is the control of the roads and airports ”adds the message.
With at times derogatory terms, this message questions the military enrolled in the National Guard, and it is even accused that they were brought “by trickery” to this security force. Then he asks “the companions” not to accept the offers and to try to file amparos against his changes in assignments or complaints before the CNDH.
“Even they (the military) are angry. They were promised that in six months they would return to their barracks or barracks and that is not the case. They are gas carriers, taking care of vaccines, taking care of the skeletal welfare banks, taking care of pipes and the worst: running around and mothering migrants ”, indicates the transcribed WhatsApp message.
Finally, the message again criticizes the replacement that will be made of the ex-federals assigned to the National Guard for the surveillance of roads in 18 states, and affirms that the work of up to five thousand people is at risk. The message, according to the transcript, concludes by pointing out various administrative provisions that are being violated with said relays and reiterates the invitation to promote legal actions.
Political Animal published on September 27 that the aforementioned strategy is for the military police to control, by June 2022, security at 55 national and international airports and 202 highway stations. This instead of the former civilian federals attached to the GN who continue to be in charge of these functions.
The answer: vigilance, warnings and sanctions
Without making any reference to the complaints raised in the message, the National Guard Command ordered the state commands to undertake five actions focused on identifying the elements involved in the exchange of messages, sanctioning them accordingly, and preventing the dissemination of other types of posts.
“It is ordered to activate its information search bodies to locate, identify, verify and locate the origin of the aforementioned message” indicates the first instruction issued by the command.
It is then indicated that if it is confirmed that said message was issued, “the corresponding disciplinary actions be taken with the GN personnel involved”, and the internal control body is informed. It is emphasized in bold that such action must be with “unrestricted adherence to human rights.”
As a third point, it is ordered to maintain permanent monitoring of publications on social networks to take care of a negative impact on the image of the GN, and that “the good image” of the corporation is called into question.
Immediately afterwards, the state commands are asked to “make all the personnel aware” of the “legal and administrative consequences” to which they can become creditors for the dissemination of this type of message. Finally, he asks that the GN staff be ratified that this is an institution that acts under the principles of legality, objectivity, efficiency, professionalism, honesty, and respect for human rights.
Espionage and military control
The military law specialist Adriana Herrera examined the documents and noticed two things: the military intervention in this corporation and the imminent risk of spying on the private communications of its own elements.
In the first instance, the expert drew attention to the fact that the document ordering the implementation of these surveillance and sanctions is signed by Amezcua using his military rank (cavalry colonel) and not privileging his police rank, assuming he really has it.
“If he is from the GN, they should have given him his name and his police rank, which, in this case, colonel would be the equivalent of inspector general. It should say chief inspector general of the intelligence section, however, they give him the military rank. And this is revealing of how they really operate under the military and not civil structure ”, indicates the expert.
Added to them is that of all these trades a copy is marked at the request of the Secretary of National Defense despite the fact that the GN is a decentralized police of the Secretary of Citizen Security. In fact, the watermark of the document corresponds to the 1st Military Police Brigade, attached to the Defense.
In October 2020 Political Animal published that the chiefs of the National Guard were actually military commanders who remained subordinate to the National Defense and that, in reality, they were not separated from that armed institution.
A more delicate situation, Herrera adds, is that in the offices the intervention of the Intelligence Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Defense is noticed, a situation that allows us to presume that behind these monitoring tasks there could be spying on troops who, in addition , on paper they are civil police and not military.
“It is clear that here there was an intelligence work to identify the WhatsApp message, subtract it and transcribe the content. In other words, they continue to use their espionage mechanisms to gather intelligence information and to use means that are illegal and unconstitutional. And with which they plan to take measures and actions, ”Herrera warned.
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