[JURIST] An attempt by a special prosecutor to try former Mexican president Luis Echeverria [Wikipedia profile] on genocide charges for the massacre of hundreds of students during a 1968 demonstration was rejected by Wednesday by the Mexican Supreme Court [official website]. The high court refused to hear an appeal from a judge's decision not to issue an arrest warrant [JURIST report] for Echeverria and other officials linked to the killings. The charges were levied after an investigation into the country's so-called "dirty war" against leftist activists in the 1960s and 70s. Echeverria, who governed Mexico from 1970-76, was accused of orchestrating a calculated government effort, in his role as interior secretary at the time, to attack and kill students who took to the streets in protest. The ruling Wednesday is the latest setback for prosecutors, who were also denied arrest warrants against the former president [JURIST report] in a separate case, this one involving the killing of protesters during Echeverria's presidency in 1971, in what became known as the "Corpus Christi massacre" [GWU backgrounder]. Echeverria has denied involvement in both attacks. Reuters has more.