3 Mexican Presidents Authorized Killing Of Hundreds

In Mexico, Special Prosecutor Ignacio Carrillo has completed his five year investigation into the torture and slaying of hundreds of leftists, and reported his findings to the government. The report, released friday by the government, is very damning.

The report says, "...the authoritarian regime, at the highest command levels, committed crimes against humanity [that resulted in] massacres, forced disappearances, systematic torture and genocide to try to destroy a sector of society that it considered ideologically to be its enemy."

The targets of this viciousness were Mexican leftists and student demonstrators, and the torture and killings took place from the 1960's through the 1980's. The report places the blame on three Mexican presidents, who were in power during that period -- Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, Jose Lopez Portillo, and Luis Echeverria.

Carrillo said the three presidents knew of the atrocities and not only did nothing to stop them, but actually authorized them. He further stated, "This was not about the behavior of certain individuals. It was the consequence of an authorized plan to do away with political dissidents."

Carrillo said the government must prosecute the perpetrators to keep it from happening again in the future. He also said the families of the victims should be compensated by the federal government.

The report is a good first step, but it remains to be seen if the government will act on it or not. I hope they do take action, and that this kind of criminal behavior is no longer happening. But frankly, the recent killings in Oaxaca leave me wondering.