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Posts Tagged ‘guerra sucia’

No pardon for “dirty war” perps in Argentina

6:10 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Argentina| Justice| Latin America · 1 Comment

25 Apr 2007

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.

Mexican “dirty war” President to be tried

1:01 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Justice| mexico · Comments Off

4 Dec 2006

Earlier this year we told you about new evidence proving that the Mexican government under presidents Díaz Ordaz and Echeverría ordered the mass murder of thousands of dissidents during the country’s “dirty war” period in the 1960s and early 1970s. At that time, it was uncertain whether the state would be able to prosecute the aging Echeverría due to statutes of limitations. Now, in a final victory for Vicente Fox’s outgoing administration (wow, he did one thing right), prosecuters have been cleared to arrest and try the 84-year old ex-president:

From the start, Ignacio Carrillo Prieto, the special prosecutor appointed to look into the dirty war, has pursued genocide charges under Mexican law in an effort to hold military and government officials responsible for the student massacre in 1968 and another in 1971. Some critics have said that to try to apply the genocide law to students as a group is a far-fetched legal approach that is bound to fail.

That criticism seemed to have been borne out last year when a lower court judge threw out the genocide charges against Mr. Echeverría, ruling that Mexico’s 30-year statute of limitations for mass murder had run out and that students could not be defined as a unified group under the genocide law.

Pinochet under house arrest

5:41 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Chile| Justice| Latin America · Comments Off

30 Oct 2006

Aging (read: very old — 91 years old to be exact) Chilean ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet has been placed under house arrest after being charged with multiple kidnappings and one murder charge:

Pinochet, who turns 91 on November 25th, was notified by a justice official at his mansion in Santiago’s La Dehesa neighborhood of the decision, made last Friday by Judge Alejandro Solís, for the crimes committed in Villa Grimaldi detention center.

Solís tried the nonagenarian ex-dictator (1973-1990) after having rejecting a petition by his defense team to exonerate him, arguing that he is too physically and mentally incapacitated to stand trial.

Judge Solís made his decision after formally interrogating Pinochet and deciding that he was “lucid” enough to stand trial, that he “understands the consequences of his words”, and that he had an “emotional reaction” to the questions.

Spain’s 20 Minutos reports that the specific crimes related to this court decision are related to incidents at Villa Grimaldi (at the “Cuartel Terranova”) where 5000 people were tortured — among them current Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and her mother — and 226 turned up missing.

20 Minutos also cites other charges that have been or will be lodged against the ex-dictator, among the disappearance of 119 protesters, the executions of 75 dissidents, as well as falsification of passports, tax evasion and money laundering.

Via / 20 Minutos

Argentina: 30 Years Later

2:05 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| Argentina| Politics · Comments Off

27 Mar 2006

Where were you thirty years ago? I was just being born. Seems like a long time ago that an important chapter in the history of Latin America was being written, but the fact is it’s still as fresh in the minds of many as if it were yesterday.

On Friday, Argentines commemorated the 30th anniversary of the military coup that would mark the beginning of a dictatorship and claim the lives of tens of thousands of innocent people. It all started on a normal day in Buenos Aires’ Plaza de Mayo, a porteño symbol and a place whose name has become synonomous with oppression and death.

Thitry years ago, on March 24 1976, a military commitee headedup by Jorge Rafael Videla and comprised of Admiral Eduardo Massera and Brigadier Ramón Orlando Agosti gained power through a coup de etat.

There began a dictatorship that is said to have claimed between 9000 and 30,000 victims, and that didn’t end until October of 1983, with the election of Raúl Alfonsín as president of Argentina.

“Guerra sucia” torture methods released in Mexico

5:34 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| Justice| mexico · 1 Comment

1 Mar 2006

A follow-up to Monday’s story, “La Guerra Sucia: Mexico was not immune”, Mexico’s El Universal newspaper is reporting on the specific torture methods used in Mexico, known as the “Catalog of Torture”. The announcement was part of the Mexican special prosecutor’s press conference, held today, which brought to light a “censored” version of the report we talked about on Monday.

Not for the faint of heart, I’ve translated some highlights from the El Universal article:

“El pocito” (”the little well”) consisted in bringing the person to the verge of death by asphyxia.

“El pollo rostizado” (”the roasted chicken”) involved tying the subject’s hands and feet and placing him on a stake, with a cord tied to his genitals. The individual would have to be careful with his balance so as not to lose his “private parts”.

La guerra sucia: Mexico was not immune

12:15 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| Justice| mexico · 3 Comments

27 Feb 2006

For those of you that think that “la guerra sucia” — the “dirty war” — only occurred in South America, think again. While perhaps not as widespread and surely not as publicized, police and government engaged in tortuous acts and murder against regular Mexican citizens who were thought to be enemies of the state. The BBC talks about a report produced for President Fox’s eyes only, but leaked by an American NGO:

A US NGO has printed material saying Mexicans had a right to know.

The army kidnapped, tortured and killed hundreds of rebel suspects, says the report, which covers 1964 to 1982.

Maegan La Mala: I don't think so [...]

Maegan La Mala: I was thinking about this...how the two are connected [...]

Maegan La Mala: Well I certainly don't condone an eye for an eye politics and don't think that that kind of "justice [...]

Raymond Lee: This is an outrage, again a young gay man attacked and killed and the fact that they where gay or bi [...]

adriana: I have been following this too, as my alma mater is one of the colleges that banned the Russell gear [...]

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Posts Tagged ‘guerra sucia’

No pardon for “dirty war” perps in Argentina

Mexican “dirty war” President to be tried

Pinochet under house arrest

Argentina: 30 Years Later

“Guerra sucia” torture methods released in Mexico

La guerra sucia: Mexico was not immune

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