The annihilation of armed dissidence within the framework of political reform in Mexico. The case of the Communist League September 23 (1977-1978)

Abstract

In Mexico, in 1977, the state decreed a political reform that granted legality to the outlawed parties of the left, thus allowing political prisoners to be released through an Amnesty Law. However, the reform, which had been presented as a fundamental step towards the democratization of the country, in reality, intensified the repression by the Mexican government against its political dissidents who were bearing arms. A concrete case was that of the Communist League September 23, which throughout the years 1977 and 1978 was systematically attacked by State security forces, who were aiming to annihilate it completely.