News Round-Up

Three stories which draw connections between issues in the Latin American region:

Tim's El Salvador Blog reports on a disappointing lack of progress for justice in El Salvador, where an amnesty law blocking the prosecution of crimes committed during the country's conflict is still in place. The FMLN - one of El Salvador's major political parties - has said it will no longer push for the law to be repealed. The "no need to reopen old wounds" is a tired and disappointing one. When justice is not done, the wounds are open, they do not heal. It's not "raking over old ground" to prosecute perpetrators when that ground has never been gone over in the first place!

FMLN reverses position on Amnesty Law

In Peru, an Argentine military expert has been testifying in the Fujimori trial that orders for state terrorism are never written down (this may seem rather like stating the obvious, but it's important that it's spelled out for the case since it rests on proving Fujimori's knowledge of and responsibility for occurrences during his regime).

Argentine expert says orders for state crimes are never written down (Fujimori on Trial)

And in Argentina, the children of exiles face particular challenges fitting into the post-dictatorship society.

Children of Exile - Strangers Still (IPS)