Our Closet Comfort... Argentina's Struggle to Restore the Rule of Law

[WillyT]

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La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina - The trial of a former Argentine military chaplain accused of crimes against humanity began on Thursday under heavy security. The trial may be a tipping point for Argentina's long-awaited reconciliation process after their seven year "dirty war."

Military chaplain Christian von Wernich faces charges of crimes against humanity for his role in Argentina's "dirty war," when as many as 30,000 people were disappeared by the military government between 1976 and 1983. Von Wernich has been indicted as an accomplice in seven counts of murder, 41 counts of deprivation of liberty and 30 counts of torture. Von Wernich refused to answer to any of the charges on advice of his lawyers.

Security has been high since the star witness in the first case to go to trial - Julio Lopez - was disappeared ten months ago. Lopez provided the key testimony against Miguel Etchecolatz, the former Buenos Aires province police chief who was recently sentenced to life in prison on numerous counts of murder, torture and forced disappearance. Human rights groups suspect police, or former police, sympathetic to Etchecolatz and other military officials now being prosecuted, were involved in the incident as a way to chill future witnesses from testifying. Carlos Rozanski, president of the tribunal hearing the case, has promised security will be high. This is the same tribunal which tried the case against Etchecolatz. Carlos Zaidman, who will testify later this month against von Wernich, said, "Witnesses must not be intimidated by Lopez's disappearance. We have a compact with Lopez. The truth must come out, justice must be served."

Von Wernich appeared in Court under heavy guard. He was in handcuffs as three guards in flack jackets and one with a riot shield accompanied him into the courtroom from a back entrance. In court, he was cut off from the public by a pane of bullet-proof glass. His priest's collar stuck out above the neck of his body armor. Von Wernich was shuttled from his prison cell in Marco Paz to La Plata late last night to avoid possible retributive attacks against him.

"We have fought for 30 years against impunity. We have waited and waited. This is an important step in uncovering the truth and bringing the dictators to justice" said Hayedee Gastelu from Madres de Plaza de Mayo, a human rights group composed mainly of mothers of the disappeared. The Madres have marched through Plaza de Mayo, the historic square of public protest outside the Government House in Buenos Aires, every Thursday since 1977, demanding the government investigate the disappearance of their children.

Several dozen Madres, who are easily identified by their white headscarves embroidered with the names of their children and the date they disappeared, sat in the first two rows of the courthouse. Most still are uncertain about the whereabouts of their children, though they are presumed to be dead. "We come because we need to know the truth. The state must condemn these acts of genocide. We come to support the other mothers and the process," said Nora Decortiñas, also from Madres, whose son Carlos disappeared on April 15, 1977. She wore a picture of him around her neck.

Von Wernich's case is just the second to proceed to oral trial since the Supreme Court overtured a series of amnesty laws from the late 80s - enacted in response to significant military pressure - that shielded prosecution of most crimes committed during the dictatorship. It is the first case ever to proceed against a member of the Catholic church, which is widely suspected of having supported the military government. "This case is central to finding out what happened under the dictatorship with all sectors of society. Business, the church, many were complicit. This can begin the discussion," says Myriam Bregman, lawyer for Justicia Ya which is representing many of the victims and the victim's families in this case. Von Wernich served as military chaplain to former Buenos Aires police chief Ramón Camps, who was convicted of crimes against humanity shortly after the collapse of the military government, but was later pardoned - along with all of the other accused and convicted at the time - by former President Carlos Menem in 1990.

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Link: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070907H.shtml

This could have been us... oh wait... it was US!

:banghead: