Chapter eight
Chapter eight
Centro Militar & Centro de Oficiales Retirados de las FF.AA. (2007). Nuestra verdad: La lucha contra el terrorismo (1960–1980). Montevideo: Artemisa Editores. Daners, C. (2003). Speech given by the Commander in Chief of the Army on May 24th. Uruguay. Ejército. Comando General (1978). Testimonio de una nación agredida. Montevideo:
El Comando.
Appendix
Brief historical chronology of important events of the period considered in this case study (1973–2007)
Before 1973 The armed guerilla group Movimiento de Liberación Nacional Tupamaros (MLN-T) emerges.
High level of activity and organizing of labor and student move- ments.
Pacheco Areco’s government represses popular demonstrations Special security measures imposed by the government limit civil
liberties. Declaration of an ‘internal state of war’ that creates the joint forces
uniting the military and the police in the fight against the MLN-T The MLN-T is disbanded and the main leaders are imprisoned.
1973 Press releases 4 and 7 written by military officers criticize the ac- tions of politicians with regards to national welfare and economy (February 9)
Parliament is dissolved (coup d’état by President Bordaberry and the Armed Forces, June 27th).
Beginning of the ‘policing dictatorship phase’ (height of repres- sion)
1976 Boizo Lanza agreement. President Bordaberry resigns and leaves the Armed Forces in charge of the country.
International campaign to denounce violations of human rights by the dictatorship (led by Amnesty international, Jimmy Carter’s gov- ernment, OAS and groups of Uruguayan exiles).
1980 Plebiscite to choose a new constitution that would allow the begin- ning of a national reorganization and project by the Armed Forces. The military’s proposal is defeated.
What We Remember
1982 Beginning of transition period to democracy. Political parties and leaders are allowed to participate (there are still some black listed parties and leaders such as Liber Seregni from the Broad Front left coalition and Wilson Ferreira Aldunate from the Blanco Party).
1984 Pacto del Club Naval, agreement between military and political tra- ditional parties to plan democratic transition. ‘Democratic’ elec- tions to elect a non-military government.
1985 Julio María Sanguinetti of the Colorado Party takes on as new pres- ident.
Amnesty for political prisoners is passed into law.
1986 The Parliament votes the “Law of Expiry of the punitive aims of the state” (Ley de caducidad de la pretensión punitiva del estado). Through this law the state guarantees that the military accused of human rights violations will not be tried for those crimes.
Beginning of campaign to annul this Law of Expiry through a na- tional plebiscite.
1989 Plebiscite for the annulment of the Law of Expiry, which fails. 1995
Topic of the disappeared emerges again due to requests by senator Rafael Michelini (son of a Senator assassinated during the dictator- ship) and press investigations. Operación Zanahoria.
1996 Letter to the editor by a retired Navy officer accused of violations of human rights (Capitan Jorge Tróccoli). “March for the Truth, Memory and Never Again”, May 20th, silent protest against the government for not looking into the fate of dis- appeared.
1999 Topic of disappeared remerges through the case of Juan Gelman’s grand-daughter who was born while her Argentinean mother, who later disappeared, was captive in a secret detention center in Uru- guay. Julio María Sanguinetti’s government (second term) does not collaborate with Gelman’s investigation to recover his grand-daugh- ter’s identity. The next government, president Jorge Battle, collabo- rates with the private investigation, which results in the discovery of the child and the recuperation of her identity.
Appendix
2000 Commission for Peace (Comisión para la paz) is created by presi- dent Battle in order to investigate what had happened to the disap- peared. The commission is constituted by groups of several stake- holders: religious groups, political parties and non-governmental organizations like the Group of Families of the Disappeared (FED- EFAM).
Simón Riquelo one of the disappeared children is found by his mother in Argentina.
Civil Court Judge Jubette issues a sentence stating the government needs to fulfill its obligation to clarify the circumstances of Elena Quinteros’ disappearance.
2001 An Argentinean justice summons three Uruguayan military officers and a policeman for their alleged participation in the Plan Cóndor (an organization between repressive apparatus of Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia during the dictatorships of the 70s).
Some groups of relatives of the disappeared such as the organization HIJOS, carry out escraches (public events to discredit those accused of violations of human rights. In these events those military officers are singled out and ‘marked’ by detailing their criminal activities in front of their homes, work places or social organizations).
A monument to remember the disappeared during the last Uru- guayan dictatorship is constructed by private initiative and financed by private donations and funds from the City of Montevideo, which at the time had a Left wing government.
First report from the Peace Commission. 2002
Juan Carlos Blanco, Minister of Foreign Affairs during the dictator- ship, is indicted for the crime of deprivation of the freedom in the case of Elena Quinteros (taken from the Venezuelan Embassy by Uruguayan military officers and disappearing in 1976).
2003 Gen. Daners, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, criticizes the legal actions taken to encourage the search of disappeared in military battalions.
What We Remember
2004 Tabaré Vázquez, from the Left-wing coalition, is elected president. The search for remains of the disappeared begins in the 13th and 14th battalions.
A report from the Armed Forces investigating what happened to the disappeared does not provide reliable information. The remains of two Uruguayans, Ubagenecer Chávez Sosa and Fernando Miranda, disappeared during the dictatorship period are found on military premises.
2006 The government grants an extradition request from Chile for three military officers accused of being involved in the death in Uruguay of Eugenio Berrios (former agent of the DINA under Pinochet’s government).
Argentina requests the extradition of seven military officers for the kidnapping and disappearance of María Claudia García Irureta Goyena (daughter-in-law of Argentinean poet Juan Gelman).
Judge Luis Charles indicted the first military officers accused of vio- lations of human rights in Uruguay (José Gavazzo, Gilverto Vazquez, Jorge Silveira, Ricardo Arab, Ernesto Ramas y Luis Maurente and two police officers Ricardo Medina and Pedro Sande). Some of them were already in prison due to the Argentinean government’s extra- dition request. One of the military officers, who had been asked to give a deposition in the case, retired Colonel Antonio Rodriguez Buratti, commits suicide. Another indicted military officer, Colonel Gilberto Vazquez escapes. He is later captured and put in prison.
Juan María Bordaberry, president that gave the coup d’etat, and Juan Carlos Blanco, former Minister of Exterior during the dictatorship, are indicted for their involvement in the death of senator Zelmar Michelini and representative Hector Gutierrez Ruiz in Buenos Aires in 1976. This case is considered part of Operation Condor.
10 retired generals, former Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces, write a public letter taking responsibility for the excesses committed during the dictatorship.
2007 Final report from the government’s investigative commission re- garding human rights violations and the fate of the disappeared in Uruguay.
Appendix
Retired Colonel Manuel Cordero is captured in Brasil responding to extradition requests from Argentina for his involvement in the dis- appearance of María Claudia García Irureta Goyena and by the Uru- guayan judge Luis Charles for his participation in the Vuelos case.
The government presents to congress a draft for a law of reparations to the families of those who lost their lives in defense of the demo- cratic institutions (Proyecto de Ley de reparaciones).
Gen. Díaz, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, is demoted from his position for his political meeting with former president Julio Sanguinetti.
Gen. Jorge Rosas, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, gives
a polemic speech during the commemoration of the day of the Armed Forces.
The government declares a national day of atonement, day of Never Again (Nunca Más), to be celebrated on June 19th (the day of the birth of José Gervasio Artigas the independence hero).
Retired General and former dictator Gregorio Alvarez is indicted for the crime of forced disappearance in 1977 and 1978 where 20 prisoners were transferred clandestinely from Argentina to Uru- guay (Los vuelos). This is also considered part of the Operation Condor.
Retired Colonel Néstor J. Tróccoli is arrested in Italy for his participa- tion in the Operation Condor. He is also required to appear in court by an Uruguayan justice for his participation in the Vuelos case.
Appendix 2
Sample texts from corpus