No pardon for "dirty war" perps in Argentina

Wed25Apr2007

No pardon for "dirty war" perps in Argentina

18:10 H | Topics: Argentina - Justice - Latin America

Nearly a month after the 31st anniversary of a military coup which would change Argentina's history, an Argentine federal court ruled today to overturn a pardon for two military officials, former General Jorge Videla and former Admiral Emilio Massera, accused of perpetrating crimes against dissidents during the course of Argentina's "dirty war" military dictatorship in the 1970s. Sentenced to life in prison in 1985, former president of Argentina Carlos Menem later pardoned the two in 1990.

According to Spain's El Pais, current president Nestor Kirschner was all for reversing the pardon when he first came into office, but preferred to wait to have a court do it instead of issuing a presidential decree. Back in 1990, Menem claimed that the pardon was a way to start a process of "national reconciliation", but since then the Argentine public has fervently demanded the reversal, which basically let Videla and Massera get away with blood on their hands.

While this decision doesn't mean the end of the three decades of suffering felt by victims of Argentina's former military regime, it represents progress in a battle that's still got a long way to go, against a number of aging criminals who have yet to be punished for their crimes.

On a related note, the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, an organization founded by mothers of "dirty war" victims, celebrated their 30 anniversary this week. This court decision seems like an appropriate anniversary present.

Via / El Pais and Reuters