News Round-Up

Brazil
Brazil's Human Rights Minister threatens to resign over controversial bill (Mercopress)
Brazil truth commission arouses military opposition (BBC)

Colombia
Salvaging Corpses at a Bend in the River - this is an amazing, if gruesome story (NY Times)

Guatemala
Naming the "Disappeared" (IPS, and see more on the "Mi nombre no es XX" campaign here)

Uruguay
Via Espacio de memoria, the Uruguayan Centro Cultural Museo de la Memoria is holding a competition for exhibits

News Round-Up

Argentina
Argentina orders military documents declassified (AP)
Argentina opens "dirty war" files except those related to South Atlantic conflict (Mercopress)

Ecuador
Colette Youngers on Ecuador's Drugs Laws (El Comercio/WOLA, PDF)

Guatemala
Inter-American Court finds against Guatemala in Dos Erres Case (Guatemala Solidarity Network)

Argentina: Opening Military Archives

In decree 4/2010, President Kirchner has ordered the declassification of "all information and documentation connected to the actions of the armed forces" between 1976 and 1983, with the exception of those linked to the Falklands/Malvinas conflict.

According to Kirchner,

"The classified information and/or documentation which was not made public was not designed to protect the legitimate interests of a democratic State, but, on the contrary, served as a means of hiding the illegal actions of a de facto government".

She stated that maintaining the secrecy of such documents was contrary to the state's policy towards memory and human rights which has been in place since 2003. She's not wrong there, and I guess this statement must be regarded as good news; let's see if anything interesting comes of it.

Se abren los archivos de los represores (Pagina/12)
Ordenan abrir los archivos secretos de la dictadura (Critica Digital)

The full decree may be read here (pdf).

News Round-Up

Argentina
Landmark Human Rights Case in Argentina Puts Torture on Trial (Latin America Activism)

Guatemala
Angels in Guatemala: Confronting a Legacy of Official Terror (NACLA)

Peru
In the Final Appeal, the Supreme Court Ratifies Alberto Fujimori's 25-year Sentence (Fujimori on Trial)

Peru: Fujimori's Sentence Upheld

Peru's Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the 25-year prison sentence awarded to former president Alberto Fujimori for his responsibility in the massacres of Barrios Altos and La Cantuta - good news.

Fujimori 25-year sentence upheld by Peru Supreme Court (BBC)
Corte Suprema ratifica historica sentencia de 25 años de prision a Fujimori por crimenes de lesa humanidad (CNDDHH)
Tribunal confirmo la condena por unanimidad (La Republica)

Brazil: Military Opposition to TC Plan

Brazil's possible future truth commission is already drawing opposition from military factions.

According to news reports, the Defense Minister Nelson Jobim and the three heads of the armed forces submitted their resignations in response to the plans, which they believe is "vengeful" since the intention is to investigate crimes by the military and police, and not by armed left-wing groups. This pits Jobim against Human Rights Minister Paulo Vannuchi.

The resignations have not been accepted but Lula apparently will now review the law before sending it to congress in the next few weeks. Of course, significantly changing the proposal in response to these threats would make him look weak.

Brazil's human rights plans angers military leaders (China View)
Brazil's Army, Navy and Air Force Chiefs Threaten to Resign over Truth Commission (Brazzil Mag)
Lula caught in row over military abuses enquiry (UPI)
Comissão da Verdade não é contra as Forças Armadas (Folha Online)
Contra "Comissão da Verdade", comandantes ameaçam sair (Folha Online)

Chile: Memory Museum About to Open

Chile's Museum of Memory and Human Rights will open its doors on January 11, although details of the exhibits have not been confirmed. It will be housed in a striking, copper-green building in central Santiago.

In a very good article for the Los Angeles Times, Chris Kraul is right to emphasise that the struggle over which side(s) of events to portray does not end with the opening of a museum. The museum is an important symbol of the state's official version of event and therefore its contents will be scrutinised - it is unlikely to satisfy all groups.

"The museum will cause a lot of conversation because the controversy over the dictatorship is very much alive and the reminders are everywhere," Iglesias said. "Not long ago, I was in an elevator with the wife of one my torturers."

According to museum director Maria Luisa Sepulveda, the facility's purpose is to ensure that democracy and human rights are never hijacked again in Chile. Its construction is part of the process of the nation coming to grips with its past -- a process of truth and justice that "Chilean society is still going through," she said.
[...]
"What we are waiting to see is whose version of history will be given," Iglesias said. "The official version of victims as anarchists and terrorists? Or that of the people who were crushed for simply exercising their political rights?

"In Chile," she said, "the battle for history is still being waged."

Chile confronts past with new museum (LA Times)