UPDATED TO ADD: See also this great article from the BBC featuring Los Pericos and others.
Here's the Argentine band Los Pericos with a video featuring the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo.
Saturday, 8 February 2014
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Argentina: Welcome, grandchild #110
It's about six months since the last post of this nature I wrote, and I'm happy to do it again.
The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo have announced the recovery of identity of another grandchild - the 110th. She is the daughter of Oscar Rómulo Gutiérrez and Liliana Isabel Acuña, who were disappeared on 26 August 1976, while Liliana was five months pregnant. Their families were told by an agent from the police that Liliana gave birth in December 1976 or January 1977. The parents remain disappeared.
The woman went to the Grandmothers last autumn with doubts about her parentage and subsequently underwent a DNA test.
Her grandmother, Vilma Delinda Sesarego de Gutiérrez, was one of the founders of the Abuelas group, but sadly did not live to see her own grandchild found. Nor did her other grandmother, Rosa González. But she does now have two uncles to connect her to her birth family.
Official press release from the Abuelas
Abuelas anunció la restitución de la nieta 110 (Pagina/12)
The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo have announced the recovery of identity of another grandchild - the 110th. She is the daughter of Oscar Rómulo Gutiérrez and Liliana Isabel Acuña, who were disappeared on 26 August 1976, while Liliana was five months pregnant. Their families were told by an agent from the police that Liliana gave birth in December 1976 or January 1977. The parents remain disappeared.
The woman went to the Grandmothers last autumn with doubts about her parentage and subsequently underwent a DNA test.
Her grandmother, Vilma Delinda Sesarego de Gutiérrez, was one of the founders of the Abuelas group, but sadly did not live to see her own grandchild found. Nor did her other grandmother, Rosa González. But she does now have two uncles to connect her to her birth family.
Official press release from the Abuelas
Abuelas anunció la restitución de la nieta 110 (Pagina/12)
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Paraguay marks 25 years of partial democracy
On 3 February, Paraguay will commemorate a quarter of a century of "incomplete" democracy. Alfredo Stroessner, head of Latin America's longest-running dictatorship, was finally forced out by a further coup in 1989. Shortly afterwards, he fled to Brazil, where he died 17 years later.
The overthrow led to a certain political opening up, the recovery of some political freedoms, the progressive reintegration of Paraguay into the international community and slow steps towards democracy, at least nominally. But in elections in May 1989, the Partido Colorado - the party of the dictatorship - won with 74% of the votes. The historic transfer of power away from the party did not come until 2008, and it returned to government in 2013.
The crimes which took place during the dictatorship remain largely unpunished. These are thought to include 425 deaths or disappearances and 20,000 politicial prisoners.
A recent survey illustrates how far the process of democratisation has to go in Paraguay: 32% of the population today would prefer an authoritarian government. This is the highest proportion in Latin America, according to Latinobarómetro.
Fernando Masi of the Paraguayan economic research institute Cadep judges the country to be "a low-quality democracy". He also explains that 1989 was not the moment when Paraguay "regained" its democracy but rather when it started building it - and this without a clean break, since the Partido Colorado remained in power.
Paraguay is still the country with the second-greatest concentration of land ownership in the world, according to the UN. 2.6% of landlords own 85.5% of agricultural land. Nepotism remains a major issue, although some protests highlighted the problem in the last year.
Paraguay: A 25 años del golpe que terminó con la dictadura mas larga de Sudamérica (Telam)
The overthrow led to a certain political opening up, the recovery of some political freedoms, the progressive reintegration of Paraguay into the international community and slow steps towards democracy, at least nominally. But in elections in May 1989, the Partido Colorado - the party of the dictatorship - won with 74% of the votes. The historic transfer of power away from the party did not come until 2008, and it returned to government in 2013.
The crimes which took place during the dictatorship remain largely unpunished. These are thought to include 425 deaths or disappearances and 20,000 politicial prisoners.
A recent survey illustrates how far the process of democratisation has to go in Paraguay: 32% of the population today would prefer an authoritarian government. This is the highest proportion in Latin America, according to Latinobarómetro.
Fernando Masi of the Paraguayan economic research institute Cadep judges the country to be "a low-quality democracy". He also explains that 1989 was not the moment when Paraguay "regained" its democracy but rather when it started building it - and this without a clean break, since the Partido Colorado remained in power.
Paraguay is still the country with the second-greatest concentration of land ownership in the world, according to the UN. 2.6% of landlords own 85.5% of agricultural land. Nepotism remains a major issue, although some protests highlighted the problem in the last year.
Paraguay: A 25 años del golpe que terminó con la dictadura mas larga de Sudamérica (Telam)
Peru shelves forced sterilisation case
Peru has cleared the government of former president Alberto Fujimori of running a campaign of forced sterilisation in the 1990s. The prosecution service concluded there was not enough evidence to suggest that the policy was systematic.
Human rights groups have condemned the decision as an example of impunity and vowed to fight on. It certainly surprises me, as everything I've read suggests that indigenous women were persuaded, tricked, bribed, intimidated or forced into sterilisation during the Fujimori government. In one specific case, the woman died, and complaints against five health workers involved in her treatment were upheld. An article in El País suggests that around 17 other deaths occurred following the procedures.
Forced sterilisation of a particular ethnic group is potentially genocide, but the prosecution service claims that there was no crime against humanity - despite acknowledgements of "pressure" and evidence that Fujimori was aware of the sterilisation programme.
Peru closes forced sterilisation probe and clears ex-President Alberto Fujimori (BBC)
Perú cierra el caso de las esterilizaciones forzadas de Fujimori (El País)
Peru: Victims of forced sterilizations push for further investigation against Fujimori (Peru this week)
Government documents show that Fujimori knew about forced sterilizations (Peru this week) Colectivo de mujeres apelará dictamen de esterilizaciones (La Republica)
Human rights groups have condemned the decision as an example of impunity and vowed to fight on. It certainly surprises me, as everything I've read suggests that indigenous women were persuaded, tricked, bribed, intimidated or forced into sterilisation during the Fujimori government. In one specific case, the woman died, and complaints against five health workers involved in her treatment were upheld. An article in El País suggests that around 17 other deaths occurred following the procedures.
Forced sterilisation of a particular ethnic group is potentially genocide, but the prosecution service claims that there was no crime against humanity - despite acknowledgements of "pressure" and evidence that Fujimori was aware of the sterilisation programme.
Peru closes forced sterilisation probe and clears ex-President Alberto Fujimori (BBC)
Perú cierra el caso de las esterilizaciones forzadas de Fujimori (El País)
Peru: Victims of forced sterilizations push for further investigation against Fujimori (Peru this week)
Government documents show that Fujimori knew about forced sterilizations (Peru this week) Colectivo de mujeres apelará dictamen de esterilizaciones (La Republica)
Friday, 31 January 2014
Argentina & Brazil agree on archive exchange
Argentina and Brazil have agreed to exchange information about human rights abuses committed under Operation Condor. A similar agreement already exists between Argentina and Uruguay.
There were many cases in which repression was coordinated between the dictatorships of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile under Plan Condor, and so what we are doing with this exchange is seeing if we can resolve a lot of cases where we still don't know what happened to the citizens of those countries, said Argentine foreign minister Héctor Timerman.
One of the prominent cases from Brazil in which more information is needed is that of former president Joao Goulart, who may have been poisoned in Argentina in 1976.
Brazil, Argentina agree to share Plan Condor details (Buenos Aires Herald)
ARGENTINA Y BRASIL FIRMAN CONVENIO DE INTERCAMBIO DE ARCHIVOS (Terra)
There were many cases in which repression was coordinated between the dictatorships of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile under Plan Condor, and so what we are doing with this exchange is seeing if we can resolve a lot of cases where we still don't know what happened to the citizens of those countries, said Argentine foreign minister Héctor Timerman.
One of the prominent cases from Brazil in which more information is needed is that of former president Joao Goulart, who may have been poisoned in Argentina in 1976.
Brazil, Argentina agree to share Plan Condor details (Buenos Aires Herald)
ARGENTINA Y BRASIL FIRMAN CONVENIO DE INTERCAMBIO DE ARCHIVOS (Terra)
Monday, 20 January 2014
Argentina: Concern over future of Parque de la memoria
Worrying news from Argentina as question marks hang over the future of the Parque de la memoria (memory park) in Buenos Aires.Staff there were recently told they would not receive a pay rise this year, which, given Argentina's inflation rate, is the equivalent of a substantial pay cut. In a blunt ultimatum, the staff were invited to resign if they had a problem with the decision. The employees of the park seem to have been singled out for this measure, which is not affecting other municipal employees.
This has given rise to fears that the move is a precursor to winding down the park. It is a symbol of the lack of commitment to the site by the BA government and the park's director herself has expressed concern that the park will end up "devoid of content".
This would be unfortunate; when I was there almost exactly 10 years ago, I observed that the park was a long way out of the city centre, rather bare and not well-used. However, in the intervening period, various new pieces of art have been added and activities have taken place. The Parque de la memoria seems to have become an established part of the capital's memory landscape (perhaps helped by the fact that the nearby ex-ESMA site is also an active place of memory). According to Pagina/12, the site was visited by over half a million people last year, so it is obviously being used. It would be a retrograde step to close it down.
Cara Levey and Francesca Lessa have written an excellent article for Al Jazeera on this issue, see below, and rightly call for the long-term securing of memorial sites.
Acusan a Macri de querer “convertir el Parque de la Memoria en una plaza vacía de contenido” (Telam)
Denuncian peligro de cierre de Parque de la Memoria de víctimas de dictadura argentina (El nuevo Herald)
Landscapes of Memory: Argentina's persistent struggles over the past (Al Jazeera)
Open letter by academics protesting against the possible closure of the park (Facebook)
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Peru: Route of peace and reconciliation
As we approach the 31st anniversary of the killings of journalists and their guide in Uchuraccay, the victims' families, journalists' organisations and some legislators want the way the men took to be named "Route of peace and reconciliation". The culture ministry is examining the proposal.
Relatives of four of the victims attended a press conference on the matter.
Each year, families and others walk the route to Uchuraccay and lay flowers at a memorial for the men who became one of the symbols of Peru's conflict.
Uchuraccay: piden nombrar ruta recorrida como “de la Paz y Reconciliación" (La Republica)
Relatives of four of the victims attended a press conference on the matter.
Each year, families and others walk the route to Uchuraccay and lay flowers at a memorial for the men who became one of the symbols of Peru's conflict.
Uchuraccay: piden nombrar ruta recorrida como “de la Paz y Reconciliación" (La Republica)
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