Mexico appeals court says ex-president can be charged with genocide News
Mexico appeals court says ex-president can be charged with genocide

[JURIST] A Mexican appeals court ruled Wednesday that a genocide trial against former Mexican President Luis Echeverria [Wikipedia profile; JURIST news archive] may proceed as long as prosecutors file formal charges against him before Friday, when the 30-year statute of limitations ends. The court effectively reversed previous rulings [JURIST report] that the statute of limitations had already expired because Echeverria ended his role as the interior minister of Mexico [JURIST news archive] in 1969. Judges instead adopted the prosecution's argument [JURIST report] that the limitations period did not begin to run until December 1, 1976 when Echeverria left the presidency and therefore gave up his immunity against prosecution.

Echeverria is accused [JURIST report; Mexico AG report] of involvement in the murders and disappearances of more than 500 leftist dissidents during a period of time in the 1960s and 1970s called Mexico's "dirty war" [National Security Archive backgrounder]. Echeverria has denied all wrongdoing, including his alleged role in the October 1968 Tlatelolco massacre [backgrounder; BBC report] which left dozens of students dead. Current Mexican President Vicente Fox [official website; BBC profile], who leaves office on Friday, has focused on holding government officials responsible for committing human rights abuses during his administration. The New York Times has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.