By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A trial in Argentina that began in late February of this year and is now in its final phase of testimony may finally prove the strategic  plan to carry out approximately 500 baby abductions adopted by the nation’s military leaders during Argentina’s Dirty War.

The recent Dirty War trials are uncovering a painful time in Argentina’s history, a period of military dictatorship rule between 1976 and 1983 when around 500 babies were abducted and thousands of left-wing activists were murdered at the hands of the government. Efforts to locate the “disappeared” from this period have been on going by the grandmothers (”las abuelas de Plaza de Mayo”) and the now adult children of those murdered who question their own identity.

One of the accused in the case is Jorge Rafael Videla. Videla headed the military during Argentina’s dictatorship and is now being accused of spearheading the kidnapping operation which redistributed babies from left-wing mothers to military officials. He is among the 11 officials on trial for 35 acts of “illegal appropriation of minors.”

Victoria Montenegro, 35, is a daughter of the Dirty War who was abducted by a military colonel when she was a newborn. She was raised by Lt. Col. Hernán Tetzlaff, the man who killed her biological parents. Although Tetzlaff confessed to the murder in 2000, it was not until after her recent testimony in trial that Montenegro was finally able to accept the truth and shed the name he had given her.

Like many others who were abducted as babies, Montenegro was constantly lied to by her military parents and received a strong ideological education. “I grew up thinking that in Argentina there had been a war, and that our soldiers had gone to war to guarantee the democracy,” she stated. “And that there were no disappeared people, that it was all a lie.”

Thanks to more government support, advanced technology and a growing genetic data bank, the total number of recoveries as of August is 105.

The trial is shedding light on many mysteries surrounding the Dirty War, including a possible connection between some Dirty War crimes and the Argentinean Catholic Church which supported the military government at the time. Church officials in Argentina and at the Vatican have declined to comment on allegations of possible involvement.

 

For further information, please see;

 

The New York Times – Daughter of ‘Dirty War,’ Raised by Man Who Killed Her Parents – 08 October 2011

CNN – Argentina Presses Forward with Human Rights Trials – 06 October 2011

Reuters – Argentina Nixes Extradition in 1970s French Nun Case – 04 October 2011

The Guardian– Child of Argentina’s ‘Disappeared’ Fights for Right to Keep Adoptive Name – 23 September 2011

 

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile — Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter signed a legislative proposal on Sunday that could potentially put a halt to the student and teacher led protests that have paralyzed high schools and universities around the country for over five months.

The legislation seeks to reform article 269 of the Penal Code by criminalizing illegal occupation or invasion of buildings and increasing penalties for public disorder, including the mistreatment of policemen, from 541 days to three years in jail. If approved, the new law will also force television channels to release tape used to record the protests so that authorities can identify and sanction individual protestors.

According to the Chilean government, students protests have incited violence, theft and have caused mass amounts of damage to property. “He that seeks to undermine peace and stability of the people, or damages public or private property will find this a tough legislation,” Pinera warned.

Student leaders, however, remain undeterred and have called for the continuation of street and campus protests this week after failed negotiations with the Chilean government over education reform on Wednesday.

Students are urging the government to increase taxes on the wealthy and fund free and high quality education for all but Pinera remains that “Nothing is free in life,” and that only the very poor will receive federal grants. After the United States, Chile ranks second in most expensive college tuitions in the Western Hemisphere.

Behind the student movement is Camila Vallejo, a 23-year-old geography student who has become an international celebrity with twice as many twitter followers as Pinera. Her quick notoriety on twitter has enabled her to direct the protests, rally student groups and even cast doubt on some of Pinera’s statements through twitter messages.

In response to Pinera’s claim that his 7 percent increase in education funding for 2012 was the biggest in Chilean history, Vallejo tweeted “How can this be an extraordinary effort if in 2011 it increased 13 percent, in 2009 15 percent and in 2008 24 percent?”

Vallejo told Associated Press on Wednesday that she is exhausted and would like to step down for a bit but feels obligated to stay and continue leading the fight. She believes that Pinera’s recent threat to criminalize the student protests shows that he wants to sabotage talks just as they begin.

Student leaders will take a vote on October 8 to decide whether to continue negotiation talks with the Chilean government.

For further information, please see:

Business Week – Chilean Students Prepare March After Government Talks Break Down– 06 October 2011

Associated Press – Pressure Grows As Chile Student Leader Opens Talks – 05 October  2011

Huffington Post – Chile Education Protests: Talks With Government Break Off – 05 October 2011

Latin News – Pinera Tries to Play Hardball – 03 October 2011

Santiago Times – Chilean Government to Criminalize School Seizures – 03 October 2011

 

 

 

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Over 1 million books are currently being held by the Argentinian government at customs.  The books are the newest good to be affected by the stringent economic protectionist plan that President Cristina Fernández has enacted and which she is determined to see succeed.

Earlier restrictions have affected many things including; textiles, tires, cars, chemicals, pharmaceutical goods and cell phones.  President Fernández’s goal is to see the Argentinian economy grow more self-sufficient by promoting local goods over imports.  Also included in the policy is the goal of increasing exports; $1 export for every $1 import.

“The editorial sector is surprised by the prolonged intervention that affects the basic right of the citizens to have access to the book as a vehicle of education and culture,” the Publishing Chamber said in objecting to the customs slowdowns.

Last year the people of Argentina purchased roughly 76 million books, government officials claims 60 million of those were printed outside of the country.  Publishers disagreed with that and instead maintain that two-thirds of all books sold are printed domestically.

The ability of the publishing industry to keep up with the volume is being called into question.  Publishing executives further note that local printers are either not of as high a quality or drastically more expensive than printers overseas.

At the opening and inauguration of the new Museum of Book and Language President Fernández championed the plan once again.

“The world is going in one direction and at times it seems like we’re going to the opposite, but this is the necessary path to recover a country that already knew how to do things,” she said.

The other sectors affected by this plan report that they have been forced into talks with government representatives from the Commerce and Industry department.in order to try and recover their stopped goods.  These talks result in the company agreeing to a plan which will increase their export capacity or increase their use of domestic products and labor.

Nordenwagen, an Argentinian car importer, had its business stopped back in January when customs would no longer allow them to bring in imported Porsches.  It took three months for the cars to be released and it was only once Nordenwagen agreed to a deal.  The owners of the business also own a vineyard and have agreed to launch a mass-market line of wines for export around the world.

Cell phones, in particular Blackberry’s, are in high demand across Argentina with all cell phone carriers having sold out of them months ago and the government refusing to allow imports of the good in.  Brightstar, a multinational manufacturer of phones, has just agreed to begin manufacturing the phones in factories located in Tierra del Fuego, south of the Magellan strait.

The phones will be made with imported parts but put together by local workers and packaged in locally sourced wrapping.  The cost of this is roughly 15 times more than the phones being made in Asia.

Global Trade Alert, a database that monitors international commerce restrictions, reported that Argentina is now second in the world in trade limitations.  The only country ahead of them is Russia.

President Fernández is unable to raise import tariffs on its own because of membership in the Mercosur customs union.  This has led her to utilize the World Trade Organization’s recognized “non-automatic licensing” method which allows a country to hold imported goods for 90 days.

Argentina has certainly not maintained this 90 day period and the list they use of goods restricted to requiring special licensing before release by customs has grown from 400 to 600.  Tax incentives are also being offered to local companies.  For example, domestically produced finished books have been made tax-free and Brightstar was offered tax incentives for starting the Blackberry manufacturing plant in Tierra del Fuego.

Concerns in the Falkland Islands have also been expressed due to the new severe protectionist policy.  Just recently President Fernández announced a plan to support local island producers of fruit, vegetables, salad and eggs.  Grants will also be made to local new businesses that help provide locally sourced foodstuffs to the islands.

“The aim is for the Falklands to become self-sufficient and less susceptible to external pressure” said David Waugh, general manager of the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC).  Easily 60% of produce consumed in the Falklands could be supported by a strong local market according to the FIDC.

The new plan for the Falklands self-sufficiency follows a period of disruption of British shipping interests by Argentinian claims that all ships between the Argentina coast and the Falklands must hold a special permit.

All of this likely stems from the 2001 crash and resulting inflation experienced in the country.  Fears of a too strong import industry have sparked this new policy as Argentina brought in roughly $5 billion in imports per year since 2009.

For more information, please see;

MercoPress – Publishing Houses Told to Print in Argentina While Imported Books are Blocked in Customs – 1 October 2011

Seattle PI – Argentina Holds Up Book Imports to Help Industry – 29 September 2011

The Economist – South America’s Two Biggest Economies are Imposing Heavy Handed Trade Restrictions – 24 September 2011

The Telegraph – Falkland Islands’ Bid to Grow its own Food Amid Fears of Argentina Blockade – 6 September 2011

The Heritage Network – Argentina: Cristina Ramps Up Protectionism – 18 July 2011

Market News International – LatamWatch: Brazil Trade Barriers Hint at Rising Protectionism? – 16 May 2011

MercoPress – ‘Argentina’s Protectionism’ the Great Obstacle for EU/Mercosur Trade Talks – 15 April 2011