On November 29, 2006, a Mexican appeals court ruled that a genocide trial against former Mexican President Luis Echeverria could proceed as long as prosecutors filed formal charges before the 30-year statute of limitations ended. This effectively reversed previous rulings that the statute of limitations had already expired and instead adopted the prosecution's argument that the limitations period had not begun to run until December 1, 1976 when Echeverria left the presidency. Echeverria was accused of involvement in the murders and disappearances of more than 500 leftist dissidents during a period of time in the 1960s and 1970s commonly referred to as Mexico's "dirty war." Echeverria was placed under house arrest but was ultimately declared unfit to undergo psychological examination due to his deteriorating health. The Third United Criminal Tribunal of Mexico absolved Echeverria of any criminal responsibility in July 2007, which was upheld on appeal in March 2009.

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Learn more about Mexico and Luis Echeverria from the JURIST news archives.

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