| Justice at Last |
18 August 2003
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Argentina Revokes Amnesty
The legislature of Argentina has voted to repeal the amnesty granted to former members of the military regime that ran the country until 1982. It is clearly the exception to the rule that justice delayed is justice denied. There is hope now that there will be some justice.
Some worry that the repeal will undermine efforts elsewhere to convince brutal regimes to stand-down in favor of less repressive governments -- the argument being that the amnesty was a determining factor in getting General Galtieri and his band of criminals to quit government after losing the Falklands War to Mrs. Thatcher. It is a risk worth taking, though.
During the "Dirty War" that the crypto-fascist regime in Buenos Aires fought against crytpo-communists and their fellow travelers, thousands simply vanished. They were dragged away, never to be seen again, the police denying any knowledge of any arrest. The disappeared, los desaparecidos. Except the torture, and murder, were well known by all, and are quite provable in court.
The amnesty was a good idea in that it helped remove a nasty regime, however, after the bungled war and the maladministration at home, the junta was going to have to leave anyway. The amnesty kept the death-toll from soaring. But the crimes committed still linger after 20 years. The only cases that can be proved now are the most extreme; witnesses have died, criminals look different and can't be found. But the extreme cases still matter. Argentina is returning to the first world.
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