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Mexican monument sparks controversy

MEXICO CITY — The decision to build a monument to honor people killed in drug violence in Mexico next to a military base is sparking debate among victims’ rights activists.

Some activists say the project, which will be erected next to Mexico City’s Campo Marte and will consist of 15 steel walls with a gap in between each, will be a space to reflect on the violence in the hopes it never repeats itself.

But poet Javier Sicilia, who leads a movement for crime victims, says building the monument next to a military base is “a mistake in every way.”

The violence has claimed at least 47,000 victims since late 2006, when thousands of soldiers were deployed to fight drug traffickers.

Sicilia says the victims should be honored with thorough investigations that clear who they were and why they died.

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