'Dirty War' witnesses fear testifying

Julio Jorge López

The Miami Herald published an article this week focusing on the continuing legacy of the dictatorship from Argentina’s “Dirty War.” A few students posted articles a few weeks ago about a Dirty War trial witness, Julio Jorge López, who “disappeared” after being a key witness in the prosecution of former Buenos Aires province police chief Miguel Osvaldo Etchecolatz. Rogue members of the Buenos Aires police force with ties to the military dictatorship are suspected in the disappearance.

López is still missing, and this is having an effect on witnesses set to give testimony in the ongoing trials and former military and police officers accused of crimes. María Laura Bretal is one such witness: ''I am not ready to let the police or the military follow me around. Look what happened the last time they were protecting us.” Another torture victim, Patricia Chabat, talks about what the López disappearance signifies: ''They know very well the message they want to send us. I don't think we will ever find him dead or alive. López is a symbol.”

The article outlines the scope of the upcoming trials. Approximately 1000 witnesses are ready to testify in the roughly 900 trials that are scheduled against members of the 1970s security forces. The article mentions that after López disappeared, “death threats started raining on judges, prosecutors, witnesses and human rights activists.”

In reaction to the recent threats, Kirchner has reintroduced a bill that would extend witness protection services. Currently there are 20 Argentineans under witness protection.
The legacy of terror has had a deep impact on the witnesses. Many still have a mistrust for the security forces, even those that are protecting them in the trials.

Amnesty

The article talks about one of the negative aspects for the movement to end amnestity - - the emergence of groups that actually support it. Three weeks ago there was a protest of 5000 people who were demanding amnesty for the forces on the grounds that most of the disappeared were leftist guerrillas who killed innocent civilians. In another article, I read one of the opinions of a protestor who felt that the torture was necessary to battle the leftist threat - - “terrorism vs. terrorism.” This is an awful case of double morality. If a person is against the insurgents because they are supposedly terrorists, how can you call your side the good side if you use terrorist tactics yourself? I know my opinion seems obvious to the class, but people still quite animately have the “they do it, why can’t we” attitude, as seen with the recent protest . You hear the justifications for torture in the War on Terror, and many people defend Pinochet and Reagan’s in this exact way. These views are not isolated, unfortunately.

Source: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/15819906.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_breaking_news


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