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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2005 
Hopes Fading for Justice in 1968 Mexican Massacre
 Lorraine Orlandi - Reuters
| | Echeverria, now 83, was then interior minister and is widely blamed for the 1968 blood bath. |
Mexico City - Exactly 37 years after a brutal crackdown on students ushered in an era of state terror in Mexico, hope that President Vicente Fox can bring former top officials to justice for the bloodshed is quickly fading.
Fox, whose 2000 election ended 71 years of single-party rule, pledged to uncover the truth about the Oct. 2, 1968 student massacre in Mexico City by soldiers and police, and to punish those responsible.
But with 14 months left in Fox's term, and after a series of setbacks in the drive to try ex-President Luis Echeverria, the chances of winning justice for victims look slim.
To survivors and rights leaders, the case is emblematic of Fox's failure to end impunity for once-powerful public officials, which many see as crucial to achieving full democracy.
"It's sad to think that this sort of historic opportunity may be lost," said Eric Olson of Amnesty International in Washington. "We'll continue to insist on truth, justice and reparations for the victims and their families, but at this point it's disappointing."
The 1968 attack days before the Olympics opened in Mexico City is remembered as the Tlatelolco massacre and remains shrouded in mystery. Witnesses said troops shot dead some 300 people. Officials said agitators provoked a shootout that killed 30.
It marked the beginning of an era of repression under the long-ruling PRI party. Echeverria, now 83, was then interior minister and is widely blamed for the 1968 blood bath. He went on to lead Mexico from 1970-76 at the height of a so-called dirty war in which hundreds of dissidents died or disappeared.
He has twice evaded moves to indict him and denies any wrongdoing.
In September a court dismissed genocide and kidnap charges against Echeverria and eight others for the Tlatelolco massacre, citing insufficient evidence and the time elapsed.
Victims and a special prosecutor appointed by Fox say such rulings reflect entrenched political interests that still wield influence, and they vow to continue the legal battle.
"Thirty-seven years of judicial complicity with those who commit genocide must end," said Raul Alvarez, who survived the massacre as a 26-year-old student leader. "Everyone knows what happened at Tlatelolco, but there is brutal resistance to punishing it."
Resignation Rumored
Echeverria's defense lawyer Juan Velasquez declared the process dead after the latest ruling, perhaps giving rise to rumors that Special Prosecutor Ignacio Carrillo was resigning.
Instead, Carrillo appealed the court's decision. He argues that the massacre was part of a calculated government strategy to wipe out a dissident movement.
Legal experts say the genocide charge may go too far, however, and prosecutors' hands are tied by legal obstacles such as the statute of limitations.
As the clock ticks, activists say Fox failed to give the special prosecutor the tools and backing he needed. Many expect the process to fizzle out altogether after Fox leaves office.
"In terms of choosing among various issues that he wanted to pursue ... Fox sure hasn't used up much of his attention or his political capital on this issue," said Roderic Camp, a Mexico expert at California's Claremont McKenna College.
Perhaps Fox chose caution to avoid instability at a moment of political transition, in contrast with Argentine President Nestor Kirchner's bold move to prosecute dirty war crimes, said Amnesty's Olson. But he sees Fox's approach as misguided.
"He should have been bold and taken the historic opportunity, but he didn't," Olson said. "Had he done what Kirchner has in Argentina, his legacy might be different." |
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