Mexico’s Department of the Interior has reportedly revoked funding for a conference scheduled to discuss the government’s violent anti-insurgency policy from the 1960s to the 1980s, a period known as the “dirty war.” The event, organized by the Colegio de Mexico and set to begin in two days, aimed to delve into the historical complexities of this tumultuous time.
Organizers were compelled to cancel the conference, leading to confusion among academics and accusations of government censorship. The conference would have featured historians from various countries, members of Mexico’s “dirty war” inquiry panel, and even officials from the Department of the Interior.
Sergio Aguayo, an academic and human rights activist slated to speak at the conference, took to social media to announce the cancellation. He revealed that a government official expressed concerns about the participation of perceived ”enemies of the government,” sparking criticisms of an attack on academic freedom.
Aguayo labeled the decision as “absurd,” emphasizing the importance of diverse perspectives in academic discourse. The government’s “dirty war” inquiry, a co-organizer of the event, later confirmed the funding cut and subsequent cancellation on social media.
Notably, this move comes after the government’s recent withdrawal of an inquiry into historic crimes from the same period. Allegations surfaced that military officials were involved in destroying, hiding, and altering documents, prompting a halt to the investigation.
The Department of the Interior has not officially acknowledged the cancellation, and requests for comment from The Associated Press have gone unanswered. Meanwhile, more than 2,300 victims of the “dirty war” and their relatives, even decades later, continue to seek justice. The cancellation of this conference adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing efforts to reckon with the historical legacies of state violence in Mexico.
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Written by: Astha Dubey, Lloyd Law College, A first year legal journalism intern at Legal Vidhiya.
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