Brazil: Truth commission online

Quick hit: the Brazilian truth commission has a temporary website up and running, here, and a Twitter account, here. Thanks to Transitional Justice in Brazil for drawing my attention to this - English speakers looking for news on the Brazilian TC are well-advised to go there too.

Argentina: News Round-up

San Francisco is considering naming some of its streets after disappeared citizens.
San Francisco, Córdoba: quieren que calles de la ciudad lleven nombres de vecinos desaparecidos (Telam)

President of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, Hebe de Bonafini, has received threatening phone calls which she believes were connected with Sergio Schoklender, who was recently released from jail. Certainly not the first time the Mothers have faced threats, but of course this time the suggestion is that they originate from a former associate.
Las amenazas contra Hebe (Pagina/12)

A large march has taken place in Jujuy to commemorate the Noche del Apagón, as it does every year, but this year is particularly focused on the trial of Carlos Pedro Blaquier.
Con todas las miradas sobre Blaquier (Pagina/12)

Almost three decades after the end of the “Dirty War” in Argentina, prosecutors have begun to hold speedy trials before those accused of human rights violations pass away.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/16/2912628/argentina-speeds-up-trials-of.html#storylink=cpy

Argentina speeds up trials of leaders of ‘Dirty War’ (Miami Herald)

Love her or loathe her, Argentina's most famous woman is still remembered 60 years on and will soon be the face of the 100 peso bill.
Evita Peron remembered 60 years after her death (AP)
Evita Peron 100 Pesos bill to commemorate 60th anniversary of her death (Mercopress)

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/16/2912628/argentina-speeds-up-trials-of.html#storylink=cpy

Argentina: The Abuelas and the Olympics

Well, here I am jumping on the Olympics bandwagon - because the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo have done as well, asking various Argentine sportspeople to feature in their latest video campaign. Here's Carlo Retegui, coach of the women's hockey team, talking about the disappeared children:

You can see more clips here.

Peru: More on Colina Group ruling

Amnesty International has called the Peruvian Supreme Court’s recent decision to reduce the prison sentence of members of a paramilitary death squad as “a grave reversal” for human rights in the Andean nation.
Amnesty International Against Grupo Colina Court Ruling (Peruvian Times)

Humala Says State Attorney to Appeal Supreme Court Ruling that Lightens Sentence of Death Squad and Montesinos (Peruvian Times)

Peru: Death Squad Sentences Reduced (New York Times)

Fujimori's lawyer, Cesar Nakazaki, said the Supreme Court's ruling could strengthen an appeal he has been working on for his client.
Fujimori emboldened as Peru court cuts death squad's sentence (Chicago Tribune)

Argentina: Perpetrators want to study

IPS has picked up on a very interesting story from Argentina, where some "dirty war" criminals want to be allowed to take part in a prisoner study programme run by the University of Buenos Aires - a state institution which itself lost many faculty members and students during the dictatorship. Current faculty members are refusing to teach the four prisoners in question: Carlos Jurio, Juan Carlos Rolón, Adolfo Donda and Carlos Guillermo Suárez Mason [son of Guillermo Suárez Mason].

So, the prisoners have the right to receive an education, but the teachers have the right to refuse to provide it: an impasse. The university authorities are considering the situation, and the prisoners could decide to take further legal action as well.

I completely sympathise with the individuals who wish to have nothing to do with these mass murderers. However, I also have to agree with the founder of the study programme:

Interviewed by IPS, the founder of the UBA XXII programme, B.Ed. Marta Laferrière, said, “denying the right to education to a person who the justice system has sentenced to jail is a very hard decision.”
[...]“We’re not judges. I can be outraged by certain crimes, but it is not the place of the university to be pointing fingers,” she said.
[...] She agreed, however, that teachers must be allowed to exercise their right to “conscientious objection” and refuse to teach them. But the university cannot deny them the service, she said.

Prison Study Programme Shuns Argentine “Dirty War” Criminals (IPS)

Peru/US: Oscar Medrano exhibition

An exhibition of the work of Peruvian photojournalist Oscar Medrano has just opened in New York.

Medrano is a longstanding photographer for Caretas magazine and took one of the best-known pictures of the Peruvian conflict, which I wrote about here.

In this exhibit the author shows some pictures of wives, mothers and daughters who suffered the loss of their loved ones, as well as orphaned children, members of self-defense committees (ronderos) that emerged during the years of political violence. The author went to places almost inaccessible in Peru after the terrorist attacks such as the towns of Lucanamarca and Huaychau. The image of the wounded face of Edmundo Camana Sumari, one of the seven survivors of the slaughter of Lucanamarca became famous for his photo with a bandaged head covering his eye. 

 His work can be seen at the Instituto Cervantes, but only until 31 July, for those who are in NYC.

Thanks to Perufoto for drawing my attention to this.

Peru: Montesinos & co. have sentences reduced; "not crimes against humanity"

In a ruling which will dismay human rights activists in the country and beyond, the Peruvian supreme court has cut the sentences of Vladimiro Montesinos and other key perpetrators of state terrorism. The decision affects the so-called "Grupo Colina" responsible for the massacres of La Cantuta and Barrios Altos.

Montesinos and the former generals Nicolás Hermoza Ríos, Julio Salazar and Juan Rivero had their sentences reduced from 25 to 20 years, death squad heads Santiago Martin Rivas and Carlos Pichilingue had theirs cut from 25 to 22 years and other members of the group had their jail terms cut from 20 to 17 years.

One reason given for the reduction was the excessive delays in the trials .

Moreover, the court ruled that the crimes of the Colina group "were against human rights, but were not crimes against humanity". It judged that the group was targeting "terrorists" and not the civilian population as a whole.

Rebajan pena a miembros del grupo Colina (Peru 21)
Poder Judicial disminuyó de 25 a 20 años condena al grupo Colina (El Comercio)
¿Por qué la Corte Suprema rebajó las condenas de Montesinos y el grupo Colina? (El Comercio)
Sala Suprema abre las puertas de la impunidad al grupo Colina (La Republica)

Peru court cuts sentence of top Fujimori aide (AFP)

In my view, the ruling is unfortunate for several reasons:
- It sends a message that the human rights abuses were not as serious as previously thought.
- It also seems to be reverting to a war/two equal enemies theory which positions the killing of civilians as "collateral damage" or crimes by a few "bad apples" among the military. This ignores the entrenched racism in Peruvian society and institutions which contributed to the extreme violence suffered by the indigenous population during the conflict.
- It may raise questions about the sentence of former president Alberto Fujimori himself, as he was convicted of crimes against humanity and the court has now cast doubt on whether there was such a thing. Supreme court judge Javier Villa Stein merely said that the case of Fujimori would have to be looked at separately.
- Finally, there are possible repercussions for other trials involving Colina group members which are still pending.