Monday, March 29th 2010 - 04:38 UTC

Malvinas Families Commission founder resigns: he was Army spy (1981/1983)

Hector Cisneros has resigned as president of the Malvinas Families Commission three days after it was revealed by a Buenos Aires newspaper (“Critica”) that he had worked for Argentine military intelligence during the last dictatorship (1976/1983).

Hector Cisneros name appeared in a list of “agents”

The Malvinas Families Commission formalized his resignation, and replacement, which had been decided last Friday over the weekend. He was replaced as acting president by his deputy Delmiara del Cao.

The name of Cisneros surfaced in a list of 4.300 agents, civilians and military that worked for the notorious Batallion 601, the Argentine Army’s intelligence branch, and which was declassified last year. According to the documents Cisneros worked from 1981 to 1983 as head of support and data processing, with the specific task of classifying reports collected by different agents.

While working for the Army he founded the Families Commission of the fallen in Malvinas, three months after the June 1982 defeat of the Argentine troops by the British Task Force sent to recover the Falklands by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The NGO commission took the task of organizing the several next of kin trips to the Darwin Cemetery in Falklands where the remains of Argentine soldiers killed during the fighting with the British were laid to rest.

Malvinas veterans claim Cisneros was always against searching for the truth and human rights violations committed by Argentine officers during the conflict.

“He was always against investigating human rights violations linked to Malvinas and against DNA tests to identify the bodies buried in the Argentine cemetery in Darwin”, said veteran Ernesto Alonso, quoted by the Argentine press.

Each Argentine grave in Darwin has a white cross and a plaque which reads, “Argentine solider, only known to God”.

However, on confirming the resignation of Cisneros, the Malvinas Families Commission said that the decision for the remains to stay in Darwin “was a unanimous decision from the fallen in Malvinas next of kin”, adding that there are “no unidentified among the fallen, they all have been thoroughly identified”.

Furthermore, “genetic probes have been rejected by relatives because they would be senseless and a repeat of unnecessary sufferings”.

According to the Buenos Aires press the fact that the name of Cisneros was released came as a surprise since the former president of the Malvinas Families commission was considered a “Kirchnerite”, and as such was often pictured next to President Cristina Kirchner.

The Argentine press also anticipates that making public a list of former intelligence service agents (even from the time of the last dictatorship) could entail further surprises, since several rules were broken, most important “disclosing names”.

Apparently “former spies” claim the 4.300 name list was “white-washed” so many of the deleted names could “unexpectedly” surface as the controversy advances. Besides, defence issue reporters say the list was made with names delivered, on request from the Argentine Defence ministry, by the Army and Air Force, but the Navy still has to comply with the instructions.
 

Published in: Politics, Argentina.

11 comments Feed

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1 JustinKuntz (#) Mar 29th, 2010 - 11:26 am Report abuse
Not sure where these comments come from but most (by no means all) graves are unmarked due to a refusal by the Argentine Government to co-operate on identification Most remain sadly unidentified. Back when the remains were interred it was the Argentine Government that refused repatriation of remains, it had everything to do with politics and nothing whatsoever to do with the wishes of the bereaved.
2 Hoytred (#) Mar 29th, 2010 - 11:59 am Report abuse
Everything to do with politics and nothing to do with the wishes of the people .... now there's a surprise !
3 jorge! (#) Mar 29th, 2010 - 12:49 pm Report abuse
.........“it was the Argentine Government that refused repatriation of remains”.....

- Repstriation means to bring something from one country to another. Malvinas is not another country! Part of Argentina. They rest in peace in the soil they fought for, the argentine soil.
4 J.A. Roberts (#) Mar 29th, 2010 - 01:04 pm Report abuse
Poor deluded Jorgelito. If it Argentine soil they are buried in, why is there no Argentine flag flying at the cemetery?
5 globetrotter (#) Mar 29th, 2010 - 02:18 pm Report abuse
As usual, Jorge is deluded. Jorge, in a “normal” country it is most often the case that, dependants are asked if they wish their beloved to be returned home. This has nothing to do with politics or otherwise, only a humanistic question presents itself in line with the depandants views and wishes ie. and eg. If a wife wishes that her husband be buried in a cemetary in her home town then, this wish, if possible, wil be respected. Our government never ever gave the dependants this option querido!!! On the other side, this option DID present itself but, as far as I am aware, the requests were that, they be buried with full military honours on the land they defended. Before you start to rant and rave, you only need to travel to Europe (again eg) and see the commonwealth cemetaries and the axis cemetaries to understand human compassion and reverance from all sides.
6 globetrotter (#) Mar 29th, 2010 - 02:24 pm Report abuse
And Jorge, before you trot on, it was the British Navy that brought the lads back home to ports like Puerto Madryn. Whilst you were still soiling your nappies lad, the authorities made sure that the “survivors” could only disembark late in the evening or, in the very hours of the morning so that la poblacion could not see them, and welcome them home.
7 JustinKuntz (#) Mar 29th, 2010 - 04:10 pm Report abuse
When remains have been recovered subsequently, the British have always given the option of repatriation or the cemetery at Goose Green. When this has been exercised it has always been conducted with due reverence and respect, sadly it seems some just don't seem to understand that.

What is telling Jorge, is that you have no thought or compassion for the bereaved only the opportunity to take a cheap shot.
8 jorge! (#) Mar 30th, 2010 - 05:23 pm Report abuse
......“Poor deluded Jorgelito. If it Argentine soil they are buried in, why is there no Argentine flag flying at the cemetery?”......

- Because of the arrogance of the british.

......“As usual, Jorge is deluded. Jorge, in a “normal” country it is most often the case that, dependants are asked if they wish their beloved to be returned home. This has nothing to do with politics or otherwise, only a humanistic question presents itself in line with the depandants views and wishes ie. and eg. If a wife wishes that her husband be buried in a cemetary in her home town then, this wish, if possible, wil be respected.”......

- I'm not delude. Families have that right to decide where the soldiers are buried. That desn't mean you have to use the word “repatriation”.
Besides, did you ask the families what they think about this???
Delude???? That one is you!

......“Our government never ever gave the dependants this option querido!!!”.....

- Our government or our dictatorship??? Can you differenciate them???

.....”Before you start to rant and rave, you only need to travel to Europe (again eg) and see the commonwealth cemetaries and the axis cemetaries to understand human compassion and reverance from all sides.“......

- I don't think so man!

.....”And Jorge, before you trot on, it was the British Navy that brought the lads back home to ports like Puerto Madryn. Whilst you were still soiling your nappies lad, the authorities made sure that the “survivors” could only disembark late in the evening or, in the very hours of the morning so that la poblacion could not see them, and welcome them home.“.....

- That's story is very well known Mr. knows-everything!

....”What is telling Jorge, is that you have no thought or compassion for the bereaved only the opportunity to take a cheap shot.“.....

- Again, did you ask the families what they think about this???
If they want to bring the remains, that's fine, but they don't want to.
In any case that wouldn't be ”repatriation”.
9 Hoytred (#) Apr 05th, 2010 - 02:48 am Report abuse
Jorge, I'll assist you with your english .... repatriation means “ .. the act of returning to the country of origin .... ”

Now as these remains were on British soil and as they came from Argentine soil it would seem to foolow that 'repatriation' is indeed the correct word ... comprende ?
10 jorge! (#) Apr 05th, 2010 - 08:45 pm Report abuse
9. LOL
11 Hoytred (#) Apr 05th, 2010 - 11:16 pm Report abuse
............... forever on a foreign field ...............

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