2nd Circuit won't allow lawsuit over massacre at Indian village

Friday, February 21, 2014  

The 2nd Circuit of Appeals won't let a former president of Mexico be sued over a massacre at an Indian village in 1997.

Ten survivors sued Ernesto Zedillo for $50 million, blaming him for the Acteal massacre of December 22, 1997. The court, however, said he is entitled to sovereign immunity as a former head of state.

Some 45 people, including pregnant women and children, were killed in the massacre. It occurred at a church where people had gathered to support the Zapatista indigenous rights movement.

Zedillo was sued in federal court in Connecticut because he is a professor at Yale University

Get the Story:
Dismissal of suit against ex-Mexican leader upheld (AP 2/20)

2nd Circuit Decision:
Doe v. Zedillo (February 28, 2014)

Suit for Indian massacre in Mexico dismissed over immunity (7/23)