New Low for Hated Former Leader

[struggle4progress]

By Reed Johnson and Marla Dickerson, Times Staff Writers
July 25, 2004

MEXICO CITY — During his long public career, Luis Echeverria managed to anger and alienate nearly every sector of Mexican society, from wealthy businessmen to left-wing student activists.
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Now, nearly 30 years later, Echeverria, 82, is again at the center of controversy, this time involving his alleged connection to the 1971 massacre by right-wing paramilitaries in which up to 280 people died or disappeared in Mexico City.

On Saturday, a criminal judge dismissed charges brought last week by a special prosecutor. The special prosecutor says he will appeal, although most analysts here believe it is unlikely that Echeverria will face jail.
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On Oct. 2, 1968, as Mexico City was preparing to play host to the Olympic Games, federal troops opened fire on student demonstrators in the Plaza de Tlatelolco in north-central Mexico City. Hundreds were believed killed, human rights activists say. Hundreds more demonstrators were arrested and imprisoned. Echeverria later insisted that he had dispatched troops to the protest to maintain order.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-echeverria25jul25,1,5259331.story?coll=la-headlines-world