The Never To Be Forgotten List

This decision is long overdue. That doesn’t make it any less welcome.

Argentina’s Supreme Court overturned two amnesty laws Tuesday that had prevented the prosecution of hundreds of military officers, soldiers and police linked to this country’s “dirty war,” in which tens of thousands of people may have been slain.

The ruling allows the reinstatement of hundreds of prosecutions and civil lawsuits that had been dropped nearly two decades ago, legal experts and government officials said. Government sources and human rights activists said new charges naming as many as 300 defendants ? the majority retired military and police officers ? could be filed in the coming weeks.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 15th, 2005 at 9:54 am and is filed under A Fistful Of Euros, Not Europe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1. Oliver Says:
   June 15th, 2005 at 10:06 am

   It is in the long run a mistake. You can bet the next military government will think three times before giving up power.
   If you wish to have an orderly transfer of power between governments, the outgoing government must be able to be confident in its personal security.
   If you don’t care do it like Romania, but no stunts like this. The law is useless if it can’t be trusted.

2. Alexander Says:
   June 16th, 2005 at 12:09 pm

   Oliver, how about the very long run? Military governments thinking three times before committing such grave crimes? The law is useless if it can be bent in a way to cover such crimes.

3. Oliver Says:
   June 16th, 2005 at 1:17 pm

   Such laws won’t stop at military governments. This is making it impossible to use harsh emergency measures. While such measures can bring a lot of harm, they can become necessary. And if they become necessary and are not applied, that which will come later, after the crisis has become more serious, will be far bloodier.

4. Antoni Jaume Says:
   June 16th, 2005 at 1:24 pm

   Oliver, I am curious, give me a case.

   DSW

5. Oliver Says:
   June 16th, 2005 at 2:27 pm

   That comes close to triggering Godwin’s law, but whatever. The best example is Hindenburg (the man, not the airship)

6. wondering Says:
   June 17th, 2005 at 1:11 am

   Wonder if evidence gathered through the granting of amnesties will be permissible in these prosecutions? If so, successful initiatives like the Truth and Reconciliation committees in South Africa will be much harder to replicate in South America.