Mexican general gets 52 years in prison for torture

A Mexican army general has been sentenced to 52 years and six months in prison for ordering the torture of a suspect and the incineration of his body, authorities said on Thursday.

The Federal Judicial Council said the general, whose name was not released, ordered that the suspect be tortured for several hours to get information about a soldier's death in July 2008 in the northern state of Chihuahua.

The victim was taken to a military installation, where he was tied up and soaked in water in order to receive electric shocks, while other suspects were being interrogated.

The torture began in the early hours of July 28, 2008, and ended at 09:00 when the victim died, "very probably" of a heart attack resulting from the electric shocks, the council said.