[JURIST] A Mexican special prosecutor's office designed to investigate past political crimes shut down on Tuesday without ever securing any convictions. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox [BBC profile], who created the department, decided to close it just before leaving office last year. That decision just took effect. All cases being pursued by the special office, including the case against former President Luis Echeverria [BBC report; JURIST news archive], will now be handled through regular channels.

Echeverria is accused of genocide for his role in a 1968 massacre [Wikipedia backgrounder] of protesters when he was interior secretary. AP has more.