Sunday 1 July 2012

Argentina: Videla denies plan to steal babies

Former Argentina dictator Jorge Videla has been testifying in the trial regarding the appropriation of minors this week and has denied that the State had a systemic plan to steal the babies of those it regarded as its enemies.
"Si la sustracción de un menor tuvo lugar, ello no respondió a una orden ni a una convalidación implícita de cualquier índole encuadrada en un plan sistemático emanado de los mandos superiores de las Fuerzas Armadas en el marco de la lucha antiterrorista."
"If the removal of a minor took place, this was not in response to an order or an implicit order of any form coming from a systematic plan formed by the higher powers of the Armed Forces during the war against terrorism".

At the same time, he has characterised the pregnant women abducted by the State as terrorists who used their unborn babies as human shields.
"Las parturientas aludidas por la querella, aludidas por las fiscalías, a quienes respeto como madres, eran activistas y usaron a sus hijos embrionarios como escudos humanos al momento de operar como combatientes."
"The pregnant women referred to by the prosecutor, whom I respect as mothers, were activists and used their embryonic children as human shields when operating as fighters."

You can watch the relevant clips from his testimony here:


The Abuelas put the number of pregant detained women whose babies were removed shortly after birth at around 500. The trial, which includes not only Videla but also Bignone, "Tigre" Acosta and others, is scheduled to end on 5 July.

Videla Denies Argentine Dictatorship Baby Thefts (ABC)
Videla denies a systematic plan (Buenos Aires Herald)
El exdictador Videla llama terroristas a las madres de los bebes robados en Argentina (ABC.es)
Videla acusó de terroristas a mujeres presas que estaban embarazadas (Clarin)

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