Chile: Pinochet legacy cases

A couple of things are not happening in Chile.

Firstly, members of Augusto Pinochet's family are not facing corruption charges over the millions of dollars he hoarded away. A judge decided that there was not enough evidence to charge the relatives with involvement in corruption.

Chile judge drops inquiry into Pinochet's millions (BBC)
Chilean Judge Closes Pinochet Embezzlement Case, Family Not Charged (NY Times)
Chilean Judge Closes Pinochet Money Investigation (NY Times)

Secondly, there will be no charges against retired general Fernando Matthei for the murder of Alberto Bachelet, as a human rights lawyer had requested. This case is obviously politically focused: the two generals' daughters are the candidates for the presidency.

Chilean judge rejects murder charge against Gen Matthei (BBC)
Chile Judge Rejects Charging Candidate's Father (NY Times)

Peru: Routes of memory in Lima

Lima council, family members of victims of Peru's internal conflict and the forensic anthropology team EPAF have organised a series of tours taking in memory-related sites across the Peruvian capital. The initiative marks the tenth anniversary of the publication of the truth commission report. 

The points along the way include the Ojo que llora monument in Jesús María, the former Japanese embassy, the Lugar de la memoria in Miraflores, the site of the Tarata bombing, the university campuses and more. 

The tours are free but you have to register in advance; wish I could be there!

Colombia: Report finds 220,000 dead

The Colombian Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica (national centre of historic memory) has produced a report called "Basta Ya: Informe General de Memoria y Conflicto" detailing the country's internal conflict.

The report finds that 220,000 Colombians have died as a result of the conflict, over 80% of them non-combatants. That's a truly staggering number.

“Only in a Colombia without fear and with truth can we begin to turn the page,” said president Juan Manuel Santos at the presentation of the report.

You can download the entire report (in Spanish), here.

I was also interested to note that the CNMH is apparently also going to be involved the setting up of a memory museum, likely to be in the north of Bogotá.


Colombian conflict has killed 220,000 in 55 years, commission finds (Guardian)
Report Says 220,000 Have Died in Colombia Conflict (IPS)
Historical Memory Center Launches Final Report (Colombia Calls)

Peru: Exhumations of prison massacre dead

Peruvian prosecutors have been overseeing exhumations of victims of the Peruvian prison massacres of 1986 over the past month.

AP reports that over 100 bodies of Lurigancho prisoners were recovered. In addition, El Comercio writes that eight former inmates of El Frontón were disinterred. The massacres occurred when the military put down coordinated uprisings of Shining Path prisoners in various jails.

Security surrounding the exhumations, which are part of the investigations into extrajudicial executions, was apparently tight.

More Than 100 Bodies Exhumed in Peru (New York Times)
Exhuman cadáveres de presos asesinados 1986 (Terra.com.pe)
Fiscal exhumó restos de ocho muertos en El Frontón (El Comercio)

Argentina: León Ferrari has died

Argentine artist León Ferrari has died at the age of 92. His polemical works are some of the best-known art to deal with the country's dictatorship.

Here he is next to one of this best-known works, La civilización occidental y cristiana. I think we can already see why he wasn't one of the Catholic Church's favourite artists. Personally, I think his work is fantastic. Here is "Alfredo Astiz (Photo: AFP, file Grinberg) + Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, 1489" (source).

Murió el reconocido artista León Ferrari (La Nación)
Murió León Ferrari, el artista que cuestionó a las instituciones (Clarin)
Murió León Ferrari (Pagina/12)

Chile: Military childhoods of presidential candidates

There are bound to be plenty of comparisons of the similar-yet-different backgrounds of the two presidential candidates in Chile, Michelle Bachelet and Evelyn Matthei.

Bachelet, who of course we know from her previous term, is the daughter of Air Force Brigadier General Alberto Bachelet Martínez. He was loyal to Salvador Allende, was imprisoned following the coup and died in 1974 of heart problems caused by torture.

Labour minister and UDI candidate Matthei is the daughter of Air Force General Fernando Matthei Aubel, who was part of the military junta from 1977 to 1990.

The two have reportedly known each since childhood.

Chile Labour Minister Evelyn Matthei to run for president (BBC)
Weakened Chilean conservatives pick woman to take on Bachelet (Reuters)
Nueve hechos que han marcado la carrera política de Evelyn Matthei (La Tercera)

Edited to add that Otto got there first on this one. 

Argentina: Remembering the AMIA in images

The 19th anniversary of the AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires has just passed, so I thought I'd mark it with an image post.

 (Credit: Nbelohlavek)

This banner makes a deliberate link between the Holocaust (approx. 6 million victims) and the victims of the Israeli embassy bombing (22) and AMIA attack (85).

(Credit: Pablo D. Flores)

The monument in Plaza Lavalle, Buenos Aires, uses the names of the victims.

(Credit: Roblespepe)

(Credit: wallyg)