| | |  Editorials | Opinions | March 2009 
Violent Crime and Insecurity in Mexico Are Rooted in Legacy of Impunity and Injustice from Past, Says Amnesty International, Commenting on Court Ruling on 1968 Student Massacre
 Suzanne Trimel - Amnesty International
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A Mexican court's finding that there is insufficient evident to prosecute former President Luis Echeverria for genocide in the 1968 massacre of students in Mexico City in effect condones the killings, disappearances and torture committed during Mexico's "dirty war" of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Amnesty International said today.
The collapse of this latest case is a symptom of the failure of successive Mexican governments and legislatures, as well as the courts and prosecutors, to live up to Mexico's international human rights commitments, Amnesty International said.
"The grave crimes of the past do not simply evaporate with the state's failure to effectively prosecute them, but leave a legacy of impunity and injustice which flourishes in today's climate of violent crime and insecurity," said Kerrie Howard, deputy director of Amnesty International's Americas program.
The Mexican federal court upheld a ruling that found there was insufficient evidence against Echeverria to continue his prosecution for genocide related to the 1968 massacre of students in Tlateloclo Square.
The grave human rights violations committed in Mexico's recent past continue to haunt the present, said Howard. "Impunity for human rights violations is the greatest obstacle to Mexico establishing credible justice institutions capable of upholding international human rights standards and protecting its citizens. Mexico will not be able to move forward without addressing its past."
The government of President Calderon has failed to acknowledge or address the legacy of human rights violations.
"It is time for a concerted effort by the state to ensure truth, justice and reparations for the victims and their families," said Howard.
Background
The massacre unfolded on the night of October 2, 1968, when Mexican security forces opened fire on a public square, La Plaza de las Tres Culturas at Tlatelolco, which was crowded with thousands of democracy activists. When the shooting stopped, hundreds of people lay dead or wounded, as Army and police forces seized surviving protesters and dragged them away. No one knows for sure how many people were killed and to this day, no one has been punished for the crime.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
Please visit www.amnestyusa.org for more information.
strimel(at)aiusa.org |
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