Friday 8 August 2008

Argentina News

A little late, since my internet connection had hiccups.

Tucuman's feared general, Antonio Domingo Bussi, who presided over a reign of terror in his region of Argentina in the 1970s and was, incredibly, democratically elected as mayor several decades later, was stretchered out of his trial for human rights abuses after complaining of chest pains. Families of the disappeared insinuate that he is faking illness to delay the trial.

Bussi dice que tiene corazon y le duele ('Bussi says he has a heart, and it hurts', Pagina/12)
Further background: Argentina Revisits 'Dirty War': Will General Be Tried? (NY Times)

On a related note, the Argentine Senate voted unanimously to revoke the system of military trials for members of the armed forces. Pagina/12 uses the headlines 'To Tribunales [the Argentine high court], like everybody else'. After the dictatorship came to an end in 1983, the junta leaders were initially going to be tried in military courts, but these institutions delayed and obstructed the course of justice until eventually the cases were removed from them and handed over to civilian courts, so it's easy to see why this is regarded as a step forward for justice and human rights.

A tribunales, como todo los demas (Pagina/12)

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