July 23 (Bloomberg) -- A special Mexican prosecutor requested the arrest of former President Luis Echeverria and other high-ranking officials for allegedly ordering the killing of student protesters in 1971.

Ignacio Carrillo, a special prosecutor appointed by President Vicente Fox to investigate past human rights violations, asked a judge for the arrest warrant on charges of genocide, Echeverria's lawyer confirmed in an interview broadcast by Formato 21 radio.

``First because there has been no genocide, secondly because if there were, there's no proof they committed it, and thirdly because in any case it's barred by the statute of limitations --- the judge should deny the arrest orders,'' Echeverria's attorney, Juan Velazquez, said.

Echeverria, who led Mexico from 1970 to 1976, is the country's first former president to face possible criminal charges. Carrillo, without naming any of the accused, said in a press conference he would seek the arrest of those responsible for the deaths of dozens of anti-government activists, mostly students, killed when a government-organized group opened fire on a protest in June, 1971.

The attack was part of Mexico's so-called ``dirty war'' of the 1970s and 1980s, when hundreds of political dissidents were killed or disappeared under the rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, of which Echeverria is a member. The PRI, as the party is known, dominated Mexican politics for seven decades until President Vicente Fox's 2000 election.

``The student massacre of 1971 was certainly one of the most egregious acts of the PRI regime,'' said Juan Lindau, chair of the department of political science at Colorado College and author of three books on Mexican politics. ``This may be important in a genuine sense for establishing greater credibility for the Mexican judicial process.''

Tensions

The accusations against Echeverria may raise tensions between Fox and the PRI, which remains the largest party in congress, according to Lindau. The PRI has so far blocked all of Fox's major economic initiatives, including proposals to create new taxes and to allow more private investment in the state- controlled electricity industry.

``The application of the law, under constitutional institutions, cannot be viewed as sowing discord or being destructive but rather must be seen and promoted as unifying and pacifying,'' Carrillo said, according to a transcript of his comments provided by his office.

Jose Luis Lopez Atienzo, head spokesman for Mexico's Attorney General's office, did not respond to messages left at his office seeking comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nick Benequista in Mexico City at nbenequista@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 23, 2004 16:36 EDT