Traces of Operation Condor

"The trace of Condor" is the headline of an article by Argentine daily Pagina/12 which deals with the identification of several disappeared persons in Uruguay. The pernicious collaboration between various South American states and the US in human rights abuses known as "Operation Condor" has been in the news again this week.

Argentine forensic anthropologists have identified the remains of a Chilean citizen, Luis Guillermo Vega Ceballos, who was abducted in Buenos Aires in 1976 and whose body later washed up on the coast of Uruguay. He was presumably a victim of the death flights.

Vega Ceballos' wife, Laura Gladis Romero, was also disappeared and was pregnant at the time, making the case of interest to the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo. The child, who has not been found, would now be almost 36.

Two Argentines who were also found in Uruguay have also been identified; Horacio Beledo and Roque Montenegro. The latter is the father of found grandchild Victoria Montenegro.

In related news, Argentine prosecutor Miguel Osorio has been visiting Chile in an attempt to step up collaboration between the two countries on human rights abuse investigations. The Santiago Times quotes Osorio as saying,

Crimes against humanity need to be dealt with, even if it means going outside one’s own borders... We have to unite against persecution and impunity.

Argentina torture victim identified as Chilean (AP)
La huella del cóndor (Pagina/12)
Chile, Argentina talk collaboration in human rights investigations (Santiago Times)
Autoridades chilenas y argentinas analizan avances en caso “Operación Cóndor” (Radio U Chile)