By Don Anque
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Brazil’s Supreme Court has approved the extradition to Argentina of retired Uruguayan military officer, Manuel Juan Cordero-Piacentini, wanted for his role in Operation Condor.
Cordero-Piacentini pictured here. Photo by AFP.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Operation Condor was a covert operation in which the dictatorships of the Southern Cone countries of South America coordinated efforts to kidnap, murder and “disappear” leftists and other dissidents. In addition to the disappearances, the dictators also shared intelligence information in order to pinpoint target.
An estimated 30,000 people were “disappeared” in Argentina, while an unknown number of people in neighboring Uruguay were held as political prisoners and tortured.
Cordero-Piacentini is wanted by Argentina for the torture, disappearance and killings of leftist Uruguayan activists in 1976 in the “Automotores Orletti” secret detention center in Buenos Aires, Agrentina. At age 70, Cordero-Piacentini has been under house arrest since December 19, 2008 in Brazil. He has been able to avoid prison and the extradition due to heart surgery which occurred earlier this year.
During hiding, Cordero-Piacentini married a Brazilian woman 32 years ago. After three years at large, the former Uruguayan Army colonel and intelligence officer was arrested in February 2007 in Santana do Livramento, Brazil. Santana do Livramento is just across the border with Uruguay.
The Brazilian Supreme Court said that Argentina requested the extradition of Piacentini-Cordero to Argentina because that is where the crimes took place. Piacentini-Cordero is wanted for his alleged involvement in the disappearance in 1976 of Adalberto Soba Valdemar-Fernandes, who was then only 10 years old. Valdemar-Fernandes has never been found.
For more information, please see:
Yahoo News – Brazil court okays Cordero extradition to Argentina – 07 August 2009
IPS News – URUGUAY-ARGENTINA: Hunting the Condor, 28 Years On – 20 May 2009
Uruguay Al Dia – Cordero extraditado a la Argentina – 07 August 2009
Associated Press – Brasil extradita a militar uruguayo retirado – 07 August 2009
