Acteal (@SIPAZ archive)
On 6 October, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) rejected an appeal that had been submitted by 10 individuals against the former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (1994-2000) for his responsibility in the Acteal massacre (December 1997), which left 45 dead in Chiapas state. SCOTUS did not justify its decision; instead it simply upheld the decision made in February 2013 by a federal judge in Connecticut, holding that Zedillo has political immunity as a former head of state.
The initial demand had been presented in 2011 in Hartford, Connecticut, accusing Ernesto Zedillo of having covered up the events of the massacre. The case was submitted in Connecticut because that is where he resides, being a professor at Yale University. Plaintiffs had demanded compensation of $50 million for relatives of the victims of the massacre.
For more information (in Spanish):
Tribunal Supremo de EU rechaza oír la apelación contra Zedillo por Acteal (CNN México, 6 de octubre de 2014)
Desechan en EU demanda contra Zedillo por masacre de Acteal (Proceso, 6 de octubre de 2014)
Corte Suprema en EU desecha demanda contra Zedillo por masacre de Acteal (Animal Político, 6 de octubre de 2014)
Corte Suprema de EU bloquea demanda contra Zedillo por Acteal (La Jornada, 6 de octubre de 2014)
For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Chiapas: Case against Zedillo for Acteal massacre is dismissed (21 July 2013)
Chiapas: Commemoration of 20th anniversary of Las Abejas and coming 15th anniversary of the Acteal massacre (21 December 2012)
Chiapas: Survivor of Acteal massacre dies (16 November 2012)
Chiapas: the Las Abejas Civil Society denounces reactivation of paramilitaries in its community (12 October 2012)
National-International: Zedillo obtains immunity for the Acteal case(19 September 2012)
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