Former president of Mexico Luis Echeveria, who took office as president in 1970, promising a democratic opening for the country but led six of the harshest years of the so-called "dirty war" against dissidents, has died at the age of 100.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed the death today, expressing his condolences to Echeveria's family.
How he avoided charges of genocide
As an elderly man, Echeveria dodged attempts by Mexican prosecutors to charge him with genocide for his role in two infamous massacres of student protesters in 1968 and 1971 that defined an era of harsh state repression.
Bald and wearing glasses, Echeveria denied he had committed any wrongdoing and said his conscience was clear. He refused to testify about crimes that have not been fully solved to date.
His presidency (1970-1976) from the beginning was marred by accusations that he ordered the army to open fire on thousands of students peacefully demonstrating in the Tlatelolco district of Mexico City on October 2, 1968 while serving as interior minister.
At the time, the government said only 30 people were killed and wounded in the massacre, which took place just days before the start of the Olympic Games in Mexico City. Witnesses said many more bodies were removed from the scene.
Hundreds of students were beaten and jailed after the demonstration, which took place when student uprisings had erupted around the world. No definitive death toll was ever given.
Source: APM
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