Memory in Latin America

Peru: Uchuraccay relatives reject MOVADEF

2012-01-28T09:20:00.003+01:00

(It's the time of year when Peru recalls the killings of eight journalists in Uchuraccay in 1983. Relatives of the victims have spoken of their opposition to MOVADEF, a group linked to Shining Path. The Peruvian journalists assocation ANP has also taken the opportunity to voice its opposition to a bill which could restrict press freedom in the country.Journalism groups use gruesome anniversary to

Uruguay to compensate Macarena Gelman

2012-01-27T18:17:00.003+01:00

Uruguay is to pay $513,000 to Macarena Gelman, who was illegally adopted after her mother was "disappeared" in the 1970s. The settlement is a result of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights case from last year, which established the illegitimacy of Uruguay's amnesty law. Macarena is the granddaughter of Argentine poet Juan Gelman, which is one of the reasons her case always attracts attention.

Argentina: US knew about stolen babies

2012-01-27T15:47:00.002+01:00

Former US diplomat Elliot Abrams has stated that the country was aware that the Argentine junta was illegally giving up the children of disappeared people for adoption. Testifying by video conference from Washington at a trial in Buenos Aires, he said"We knew that it wasn't just one or two children". There must have been some sort of directive from a high level official, he suggested: "a plan,

Peru considers putting the TRC on the curriculum - and it had better hurry up

2012-01-24T16:48:00.002+01:00

I have just watched the Youtube video above and I am genuinely shocked and saddened.For the non-Spanish speakers, it shows young Peruvians being asked about their country's recent history and revealing that they know...well... nothing. They were unable to identify a photo of Abimael Guzman - a man responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people in their country within the last 30 years

Peru: More on Movadef

2012-01-20T12:50:00.004+01:00

Yesterday for the first time I mentioned Movadef, the movement which has grown out of Peru's Shining Path and is currently attempting to be recognised as a legal political organisation, to the consternation of parties across the political spectrum. Questions are being asked about where the group is getting its support from and what Peru is doing wrong if its young people can be prepared to turn

Peru: Call for memory topics to be taught in school

2012-01-18T09:44:00.002+01:00

Rocio Silva Santisteban, executive secretary of the Peruvian National Human Rights Coordinator (CNDDHH), has called on education minister Patricia Salas to include memory topics, including the history of the Shining Path, in the national curriculum.Her reason for doing so is to avoid the acceptance of groups such as MOVADEF (Movimiento por la Amnistía y los Derechos Fundamentales - Movement for

Argentina: A look ahead to trials in 2012

2012-01-17T10:11:00.002+01:00

A belated happy new year to all readers!Pagina/12 reports that 11 oral trials for crimes against humanity have been confirmed in Argentina for the first half of this year.Mar del Plata: starting 9 February. On trial: former military men Julio Alberto Tommasi, Roque Italo Pappalardo, José Luis Ojeda and civilians Emilio Felipe Méndez and Julio Manuel Méndez. Accused of: illegal deprivation of

Peru: New head of memory museum - and new name as well

2011-12-30T12:53:00.004+01:00

After the resignation of artist Fernando de Szyszlo, the current president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Diego Garcia-Sayan, has been named the new head of the commission charged with setting up Peru's new memory museum in Miraflores, Lima.Peru Appoints Garcia-Sayan to Lead Memory Museum Commission (Peruvian Times)In addition, a new name for the project, initially called the "

Argentina: Concerns over new terrorism law

2011-12-30T12:30:00.003+01:00

Having just written about a positive development on Argentina's human rights scene, I also wanted to flag up an issue causing concern: the new anti-terrorism law. The new package of measures is intended to combat financial crimes, but opponents are worried that its vague terms could be employed against legitimate protesters. As a major feature of Argentina's last dictatorship (and, indeed, its

Argentina: Bignone convicted (again)

2011-12-30T12:07:00.002+01:00

Convictions are just piling up for Argentina's last military president, Reynaldo Bignone. Having already been found guilty of crimes against humanity once this year, he has now been convicted of setting up a clandestine torture centre in the hospital Posadas de Haedo during the dictatorship.Bignone was found to have personally overseen the takeover of the hospital in Buenos Aires province 35

Chile: Allende case closed

2011-12-30T11:50:00.002+01:00

Hm, I actually thought this had happened already, but now it seems that the case is officially closed: Salvador Allende committed suicide during Chile's 1973 coup. Most people had never doubted this, but the additional transparency is to be welcomed.Chile closes Allende case after confirming suicide (AP)Mystery over Chile ex-president's death solved (BBC)Justicia chilena cierra investigación

Chile: Controversial choice for Supreme Court president

2011-12-21T11:47:00.002+01:00

The members of the Chilean Supreme Court have selected Rubén Ballesteros to take over presidency of the court for the next two-year term, beginning on 6 January 2012. The choice has been condemned by human rights groups, who accuse Ballesteros of having supported military impunity for Pinochet-era crimes. He is said, among other things, to have backed the amnesty for human rights abusers on

Peru: Mass graves reported

2011-12-21T10:56:00.002+01:00

Peruvian media is reporting that a group of indigenous people has travelled to Lima to report the existence of mass graves in Ayacucho. They were referring to around 14 graves containing about 100 bodies, assumed to be victims of the Peruvian conflict of the 1980s. These are located in the district of Ayahuanco.Congressman Alberto Beingolea, who heads the justice and human rights commission, said

News Round-up

2011-12-16T17:52:00.002+01:00

Argentina"Dirty War" mass grave discovered in Argentina (video, BBC)Argentine judge receives images of 1970s victims (AP)Argentina planning a Malvinas war museum for the 30th anniversary (Mercopress)Brazil/ChileDisclosed documents reveal Brazilian strong support for the Pinochet regime in Chile (Mercopress)Monument to Brazilian general triggers controversy with human rights groups (Mercopress)

Chile: Call for law banning honouring of Pinochet

2011-12-11T13:36:00.002+01:00

Chilean daily La Tercera yesterday ran an article on the efforts to introduce a law regulating the public commemoration of Augusto Pinochet. Here's my translation:Opposition calls for law prohibiting pro-Pinochet monuments to be pushed throughOn Thursday, opposition members of parliament criticised the lack of progress on the draft law which would ban the exhibition of images and public monuments

News Round-up

2011-12-09T10:00:00.003+01:00

Latin AmericaHuman rights agenda has expanded (IPS)IPS takes the conference of human rights defenders organised by CELS in Buenos Aires as its cue to survey the state of human rights in the region. It finds that the range of issues has expanded from a focus on authoritarian regimes to include environmental and other concerns. However, there is a broad range of threats as well:"Today it is not

Today's Google doodle honours Diego Rivera

2011-12-08T19:52:00.002+01:00

Peru: Interview with Shining Path's "Artemio" (2)

2011-12-08T15:12:00.003+01:00

As I thought, the Artemio interview has made the English-language media (but my blog post was first! ;-))Artemio unmasked: Peru's Shining Path commander comes in from the cold (Guardian, this is the Dan Collyns piece and includes the video embedded above, which is Spanish with English subtitles and voiceover)Peru guerrilla leader pledges no more attacks (AP)The Mercopress link unfortunately got

Peru: Interview with Shining Path's "Artemio"

2011-12-07T17:34:00.003+01:00

Gustavo Gorriti and Romina Mella today published the first part of an interview with Shining Path leader "Artemio" for IDL-Reporteros today. It's pretty fascinating stuff watching him sitting there in the jungle acknowledging the group's failure and calling for a process of disarmament. His quiet voice is at such odds with Abimael Guzman's public image as well.For the non-Spanish speakers, here

News Round-up

2011-12-07T13:45:00.002+01:00

ChilePass notes No 3,091: Pablo Neruda (Guardian)For anyone not familiar with the Guardian's "Pass Notes" column, it takes a wry look at current issues in a question-and-answer format. This is a good one, though it overstates the importance of this latest call for Neruda's exhumation.ColombiaIn pictures: Colombia protests (BBC)Interesting images of the anti-FARC protests.PeruPeru women fight for

Chile: Call to exhume Neruda

2011-12-06T10:42:00.002+01:00

The Chilean Communist Party has asked for the remains of the poet Pablo Neruda to be exhumed due to allegations that he may have been poisoned. Neruda died, apparently from prostate cancer, shortly after the 1973 coup, but his former driver alleges that he was given a suspicious injection which could have induced a heart attack.The Pablo Neruda Foundation, which guards the poet's legacy, said in

News Round-up - Posting from hospital edition

2011-12-05T09:39:00.002+01:00

ArgentinaEx-official in Argentina found guilty of journalist's death in 1976 (Journalism in the Americas)Brazil Brazil Takes Steps on Truth, Human Rights, and the Right to Know (Unredacted)ChileChile requests extradition of former US Army officer allegedly involved in the 1973 killing of two US citizens (Mercopress)Wife: US official accused in Chile has Alzheimer's (

Argentina reading

2011-11-25T20:06:00.002+01:00

The Economist has a good round-up of recent Argentine fiction dealing with the legacy of the dictatorship - thanks to GoodAirs for drawing my attention to it. In addition, the Guardian is visiting Argentina this month as part of its world literature tour feature. Don't miss the comments for lots of reading inspiration - it's not just Borges!

Argentina: Bussi is dead

2011-11-25T08:58:00.003+01:00

Former general Antonio Bussi, who was sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity during Argentina's military dictatorship, has died. He was 85.I'm not going to summarise his lifestory, because I already did that here. Suffice it to say that an icon of repression in Argentina has passed away. It's also worth noting that 1) Bussi's involvement in human rights abuses started before the

Guatemala update

2011-11-25T08:44:00.002+01:00

Two of the "disappeared" have been identified in Guatemala. Union leader Amancio Villatoro and student leader Sergio Linares are the first victims that scientists have matched to Guatemala's military journal, known as the "death squad diary", a list of 183 citizens who disappeared at the hands of the army between 1983 and 1985.Guatemala: War Victims Found (NY Times)Guatemala identifies victims

International Day to End Impunity

2011-11-23T15:29:00.000+01:00

Today - 23 November - is the International Day to End Impunity, which focuses on crimes against journalists and others "who have been killed for exercising their right to freedom of expression".The Committee to Protect Journalists' 2011 Impunity Index highlights 13 countries where violence against people working in the press is a particular problem. Three of them are in Latin America - Mexico,

Uruguay: Aftermath of amnesty lifting

2011-11-18T10:50:00.003+01:00

A post on Uruguay is well overdue as there have been a few linked stories in the news since the lifting of the country's amnesty.On 1 November, AFP reported that human rights group IELSUR had filed a complaint "against some 100 troops in the name of 90 people detained in a decade-long crackdown against communists launched in 1975". The plaintiffs allege "torture, cruel, degrading and inhuman

A map of Latin American dreams

2011-11-18T10:01:00.002+01:00

I recently discovered the work of Martín Weber (thanks to Peru Foto). His photographs in "A map of Latin American dreams" are just beautiful, and several of them are relevant to this blog. Here is just one of them:See more here.

News Round-up

2011-11-16T21:00:00.002+01:00

ArgentinaI did not know that UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, was a victim of the Argentine junta:Argentina's Dirty War lessons for the world (BBC)GuatemalaReuters profiles new Guatemalan president Otto Perez and discusses his role in the country's civil warSpecial report: Guatemala's new leader faces questions (Reuters)ParaguayParaguay: no money to identify dictatorship dead (AP)

Peru: Not one, but 15,000 voices

2011-11-06T09:05:00.002+01:00

I had an email from the guys at EPAF, the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team, bringing my attention to their campaign "Not one, but 15,000 voices", which focuses on the more than 15,000 Peruvians that were “disappeared” during the period of political violence (1980-2000). It includes a series of videos, of which I've embedded one above, with some relatives telling their experiences in their own

News round-up

2011-11-04T18:04:00.002+01:00

Argentina/USObama asked to declassify documents on children’s disappearance in Argentina (Mercopress)Congressman to Obama: Declassify Argentina files (AP)And here's the official website of Congressman Maurice HincheyColombiaColombia: Spy Agency Dissolved (New York Times)Forced Disappearances in Colombia (COHA)GuatemalaThe Guatemalan Government’s Apology for the 1954 Coup (Americas Quarterly)

Peru: RIP Carlos Bendezú

2011-11-01T19:17:00.003+01:00

In fact, until a few hours ago I didn't know the name Carlos Bendezú, but I was certainly aware of one his photographs, which became one of the icons of the Peruvian conflict. Bendezú took this for magazine Caretas in 1980, when Sendero was still very much an unknown quantity.Fallece fotógrafo Carlos Bendezú (La Republica)

Peru: Remembering Barrios Altos

2011-11-01T19:05:00.003+01:00

Peru's La Republica has a long article on the memory of the Barrios Altos massacre. One of its survivors, Tomás Livias Ortega, is an ice-cream seller and the article contains an image of an interesting initiative to keep the memory of the case alive. Anyone who has been to Peru will be familiar with the ice-cream sellers and their little carts.El batallón de los heladeros (La Republica)

Uruguay: Congress votes to overturn amnesty law

2011-10-30T08:02:00.002+01:00

Uruguay's Congress has voted to lift an amnesty law that protected officers from prosecution for crimes committed during military rule from 1975 to 1983, paving the way for possible future trials.The vote was 50-40 and the bill is now expected to be signed by President Jose Mujica in the nick of time - the statute of limitations would have kicked in on 1 November.Human rights activists,

Peru: Forced sterilisation investigation to be reopened

2011-10-29T11:58:00.004+02:00

Peru has informed the Inter-American Human Rights Commission that it will reopen the investigation into cases of forced sterilisation which took place in the country in the 1990s. This is a rather unexpected piece of good news; the forced sterilisation of mostly poor and indigenous women is an element of Peru's conflict which was not examined in the truth commission. There is therefore a real

Brazil: Senate approves truth commission

2011-10-29T09:59:00.002+02:00

The proposal for a truth commission, which I discussed here, has passed another hurdle, winning a vote in the Senate, and is now just waiting for president Dilma Rousseff's signature. Considering Rousseff herself was jailed by the military and she has been outspoken in favour of the commission, I think it's safe to assume she will sign! However, Senator Randolfe Rodrigues described the planned

Argentina: JUSTICE for the ESMA victims

2011-10-29T09:27:00.004+02:00

Well, it feels like I've been waiting a long time to write this post - but of course, not nearly as long as the Argentine relatives have been waiting for justice. It's almost two years since the ESMA megatrial started, and it's finally over, and some of the worst perpetrators of human rights abuses of the dictatorship have received lengthy jail sentences. They include Alfredo Astiz, responsible

Latin America Round-up

2011-10-25T09:49:00.003+02:00

Here's some interesting stuff I've been reading over the past few days:Latin AmericaHey, it's an iconicity piece, so I'm going to link to it. Of course I agree that the region has icons (and I can't believe there's no mention of Che!) but I'm unconvinced that Latin America is obsessed with the past or indeed that this is a negative thing. In other circumstances we are always pointing out that

Argentina: Sentence in ESMA trial

2011-10-22T19:49:00.002+02:00

Spain's Stolen Babies

2011-10-22T12:39:00.004+02:00

I just watched the episode of BBC2's This World: Spain's Stolen Babies, and it was pretty amazing, especially viewed through the lens of my interest in Argentina.In short, it seems that many babies were taken from new mothers during the Franco regime and sold. The women were told their babies were stillborn or had died shortly after birth. Although they were not disappeared people as in Argentina

Brazil: A truth commission, but a weak one

2011-10-21T16:46:00.002+02:00

There have been a few stories floating around about Brazil's truth commission proposal, which is still awaiting a vote in the Senate, but most of them in the English media have been pretty perfunctory. However, this one from IPS is really worth reading. It opens by pointing out that,For some the commission, or CNV, that was approved by a Senate committee on Wednesday Oct. 19 is a watered-down or

Guatemala: President Colom apologises

2011-10-21T16:05:00.002+02:00

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom has apologised to the family of former President Jacobo Arbenz who was ousted in a 1954 coup backed by the United States. Arbenz died in exile in 1971.Colom announced on Thursday that he will name a federal highway after Arbenz, notes the Associated Press. Not to make light of an absolutely serious issue, but that does seem a slightly odd tribute.The New York

Peru: Humain Remains Found at La Cantuta

2011-10-19T17:17:00.003+02:00

There have been fresh reports of discoveries of possible victims of Peru's internal conflict recently. At the weekend, workmen at the university of La Cantuta discovered human remains when digging on a building site. There are said to be at least eight bodies. Of course, the very name of "La Cantuta" is emblematic of memory issues in Peru, as one of the most notorious crimes of the conflict was

Peru: EU donates money to memory museum

2011-10-18T17:03:00.002+02:00

The European Union has pledged two million euros to finance the construction of Peru's place of memory (Lugar de la Memoria), which is being built in Lima to commemorate the internal conflict of 1980-2000. The agreement was signed on 13 October in the foreign ministry. Present were Peruvian foreign minister Rafael Roncagliolo, head of the high-level commission for the memory museum, Fernando de

Argentina: Is it possible he didn't know?

2011-10-16T14:29:00.002+02:00

One of the major trials currently taking place in Argentina is the so-called "Circuito Camps". This encompasses the cases from the detention centres under the control of general Ramón Camps (who died in 1994). It includes some of the emblematic cases of the dictatorship: the students taken during the Night of the Pencil (Noche de las lapices); the stealing of the grandchild of María Isabel “

Peru: The Huayno Murders

2011-10-15T21:31:00.006+02:00

This is a little different to my typical interests, but I'm adding because it's so unusual to see something like this in English and it does link to some interesting memory aspects. It's an examination of the intrigues of the popular huayno music scene in Peru and a notorious murder which took place within it. Right at the end, it suddenly brings up the issue of Bagua and whether the scandal was

Argentina: Astiz claims "persecution"

2011-10-15T19:43:00.007+02:00

Alfredo Astiz, given the opportunity to make a statement in the closing stages of his current trial, has claimed that he is the victim of "political persecution".According to Astiz,Esto no es justicia, esto es un linchamiento. (...) No nos perdonan que hayamos intervenido y derrotado al terrorismo",This isn't justice, this is a lynching. (...) [The government] won't forgive us for having

Argentina: La mujer del Eternauta

2011-10-11T18:14:00.004+02:00

La mujer del Eternauta (Dir. Adán Aliaga, Spain, 2011):Thanks to the Memoria Documental blog for drawing my attention to this trailer; as it rightly points out, the trailer is quite mysterious and you don't get much information from it. Nevertheless, I can add a few words about its subject, Elsa Sánchez de Oesterheld. She was the wife of Argentine journalist Héctor Germán Oesterheld, whose most

Argentina: Angela Urondo

2011-10-09T20:00:00.003+02:00

Pagina/12 runs an extensive interview with Angela Urondo, another child of disappeared parents. It's unfortunately too long for me to translate, but for Spanish speakers interested in these issues, it's worth reading in full.Angela Urondo is the daughter of Argentine writer Francisco “Paco” Urondo and Alicia Raboy. Her father was killed in 1976 and her mother remains disappeared. Last week, five

Argentina: Victoria Montenegro

2011-10-09T10:08:00.002+02:00

The online edition of the New York Times yesterday published a detailed article on Victoria Montenegro, a disappeared child (now adult, of course), which discusses very well the complexities and emotional turmoil of such cases.Brought up by a military father who recounted his involvement in "battles" against "subversives", Montenegro eventually had to learn that he had been involved in the

Argentina: Duret expelled from Chile

2011-10-08T21:20:00.005+02:00

Progress was made on another case in Argentina this week. Alejandro Duret had fled to Chile in an attempt to avoid a lengthy jail sentence - and Chile sent him back. Duret, a retired Argentine colonel, is linked with the kidnapping, torture and ultimate disappearance of political opponent Carlos Labolita in 1976."He simply came into the country and was expelled," a Chilean foreign ministry

Argentina: Astiz extradition denied

2011-10-08T20:54:00.004+02:00

France had an extradition request for Alfredo Astiz denied this week. The murder of the French nuns Leonie Duquet and Alice Domon for which he was wanted is one of the most notorious of the dictatorship.The extradition petition was judged "inadmissible" on the perfectly reasonable grounds that Astiz is already on trial in Argentina for crimes involving the same victims. This is as it should be:

Chile: September, month of memory

2011-10-04T16:34:00.002+02:00

Septiembre, mes de memoria from Corporación Villa Grimaldi on Vimeo.Villa Grimaldi uploaded this video of commemorative events which took place at the park in September.

Argentina: Disappeared child fights to keep name

2011-09-25T12:54:00.002+02:00

This amazing story is a real insight into the complexities of the "found" children and a different perspective on the struggle of Marcela and Felipe Noble to avoid finding out about their past.The Guardian picks up on the case of Hilario Bacca, who was born to a detainee in the ESMA and illegally adopted. He was another instance of the law which allows compulsory DNA testing of suspected "

Dominican Republic: Memory Museum (2)

2011-09-17T11:01:00.003+02:00

Back in June, I mentioned that the Dominican Republic had opened a museum of memory. The New York Times now goes into more detail about the museum and the idea behind it, and it's worth a read. "This museum all but shouts for the era’s pain to be heard", writes the paper.“We are rescuing the memory,” said Luisa de Peña Díaz, the director of the museum and one of its founders, whose father was

Making tyrants do time

2011-09-17T10:26:00.003+02:00

A fascinating opinion piece by Kathryn Sikkink in the New York Times compares prosecutions of human rights abuses across the globe. Often, one excuse given for not pursuing atrocities is that it leads to "destabilisation", including the threat of a (further) military coup (see the justifications for the introduction of the "Full Stop" and "Due Obedience" laws in Argentina in the '80s). Yet,

Guatemala: Video of mass grave

2011-09-16T15:46:00.002+02:00

Looking down into this mass grave is incredible, as is the presenter's casual tone when she says "The team try to ignore the death threats...".Thanks to Mike at Central American Politics for posting this.

Picture of the Day: Guatemala

2011-08-12T21:20:00.002+02:00

A little late, but I have to draw attention to this fantastic photo of a woman celebrating the 6,060-year sentences in the trial of four former soldiers in Guatemala. 6,060 year sentence in 1982 massacre in Guatemala (LA Times blog)

Resources: Truth and justice in Paraguay

2011-08-09T09:53:00.004+02:00

A recommendation for those interested in memory issues in Paraguay is the website Verdad y Justicia from the Paraguayan government ombudsman (defensoria del pueblo). It's Spanish language and includes the complete report of the country's TRC for download as PDF.

Argentina: Welcome, grandchild no. 105

2011-08-09T09:29:00.003+02:00

Yesterday the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo held a press conference at which they officially presented the case of found grandchild number 105, Laura Reinhold Siver, the daughter of Susana Siver and Marcelo Reinhold. Laura was born in the ESMA clandestine detention centre in 1978; her parents remain disappeared. Despite the long-running and much-publicised Noble case, not every one of the

News Round-Up

2011-07-27T13:48:00.002+02:00

ArgentinaJust in case there was any possibility of forgetting Evita...Giant portrait of Eva Perón unveiled in Argentina ministry (Guardian)GuatemalaGuatemala massacre trial begins (AFP)Ex-soldiers link troops to Guatemala massacre (AP)PeruThis is an update of a previous post of mine; the actual number of missing books may not sound that large in the great scheme of things, but as it says, these

News Round-Up

2011-07-21T18:57:00.007+02:00

*Post updated to correct error in Peru section*ArgentinaThe anniversary of the AMIA bombing causes the annual reconsideration of the case, this time with Iran making cooperative noises and the victims' groups responding with suspicion.Jews: Argentina and Iran both failed in bomb probe (AP)Jewish community complains lack of progress in AMIA bombing investigation (Mercopress)Argentina welcomes

Argentina: AMIA anniversary

2011-07-18T20:22:00.003+02:00

It's a big memory anniversary in Argentina, that of the AMIA bombing.Even as recently as when I started looking at memory issues, this site would not have been imaginable. "Tweet de luto" (tweet of mourning) is a use of social networking for commemorative purposes, simple yet highly effective.

Peru: Humala meets De Szyszlo on Memory Museum

2011-07-17T14:04:00.003+02:00

Peru's president-elect Ollanta Humala met with the head of the commission in charge of the memory museum (Lugar de la Memoria), Fernando de Szyszlo, this week. Humala expressed his commitment to the project and de Szyszlo reported that the future president had made "a good impression" on him.Humala y De Szyszlo se reunieron y hablaron del Lugar de la Memoria (El Comercio)Humala, De Szyszlo meet

Peru: Accomarca suspect extradited

2011-07-17T13:15:00.002+02:00

A Peruvian former army officer, Telmo Hurtado, has been extradited from the US to face trial over the 1985 Accomarca massacre. Hurtado has served jail time in Peru before, but was let out in the amnesty. When the amnesty law was annulled, he went to the US.Hurtado bears the nickname 'butcher of the Andes'. Believe me, if your behaviour during the Peruvian conflict was brutal enough to earn you

Argentina: NEGATIVE

2011-07-17T10:34:00.006+02:00

The results are out, and they're negative.Yes, this is a sentence I had hoped not to write. The DNA of Marcela and Felipe Noble, the adopted children of Ernestina Herrera de Noble, has been compared against the samples in the Argentine national genetic database set up in the aftermath of the dictatorship, and no match has been found.Of course, this does not mean that the Nobles are NOT children

Argentina: Verdict in Vesubio Case

2011-07-15T21:22:00.005+02:00

As promised in my post on Elisabeth Kaesemann, the verdict is in in the El Vesubio case. Although the camp commander died during the trial, two other former officers, Hector Gamen and Hugo Pascarelli, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Five former prison guards also got custodial sentences.Sebastian Soler's son, now 41, clearly remembers the day his father and mother were kidnapped."A group of

Argentina: Elisabeth Kaesemann

2011-07-14T19:01:00.003+02:00

The online edition of German weekly Der Spiegel has published an excellent article on the El Vesubio trial, which I felt it was worth translating in full: