Bid to indict former Mexican president hits obstacle
Publish date: 02 March 2005
Issue Number: 1287
Diary: Legalbrief Today
Category: Human rights
Mexicos Supreme Court has rejected one of the arguments by a special prosecutor who is seeking the arrest of ex-President Luis Echeverria in connection with the 1971 killings of student protesters.
The justices rejected the argument that it is was not too late to bring the former leader to trial, but agreed to hold hearings on three other arguments raised by Ignacio Carrillo Prieto, who is appealing a lower-court ruling that cited a 30-year statute of limitations in invalidating his case against Echeverria, reports the Los Angeles Times. Echeverria (83) is the only former Mexican president to be indicted for human rights abuse. He has denied the charge that he ordered the 1971 attack by plainclothes government troops on a peaceful anti-government march. The indictment says 45 students died in the attack in Mexico City. Full report in the Los Angeles Times