Mexico Quietly Placed Archives Related to Its 'Dirty War' Under Lock and Key Gabriela Gorbea and Andrea Noel - VICE News
go to original April 1, 2015

Masacre en Tlatelolco, 2 De octubre 1968 (NillKafka)

Mexico's government has silently implemented a law blocking public access to archival documents related to the country's Guerra Sucia, or Dirty War, which left thousands of political dissidents, students, and activists dead or disappeared in the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s.

The Dirty War was a period of low-intensity internal conflict between the ruling Institutionalized Revolutionary Party (PRI) and leftist guerrilla movements, which surged during the PRI's more than 70 years in power.

The most notable result of this civilian insurgency was the 1968 Tlatelolco student massacre. The Mexican military opened fire on protesting students, teachers, and passersby, killing hundreds — the official death toll was never definitively determined and remains unknown.

The Dirty War archive was sealed this year as a delayed result of the 2012 Federal Law of Archives, which reclassified these historic documents as "confidential." The controversial move further obfuscates the details that surround a dark period in Mexican history marked by unofficial military operations aimed at wiping out insurgent guerrillas and their leaders, which continue to be muddied.

The historic document collection that was open for public viewing at Mexico's National Archives for more than a decade is now off limits to the public.

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