MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Controversy marks Malvinas exhibition in Buenos Aires

Soldier-manikin staked to the ground

Controversy marked the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the Malvinas war 25th anniversary when a group of war veterans staked a soldier-manikin to the ground, an action rejected by next of kin who protested to Argentina's Minister of Defence and abandoned the opening ceremony.

The incident occurred on Monday at the Ministry of Defence seat Edificio Libertador where the historic exhibition "Malvinas 25 years: a memory of struggle, tragedy and sovereignty"was inaugurated by Minister Nilda Garré, who had to appeal to her best negotiating skills because it was her who offered the veterans the stand where the controversial ground staking was represented. The exhibit is a collection of equipment, weapons and uniforms from the three services used during the 1982 conflict plus battle scenarios, presentations from next of kin and veterans' organizations as well as documentary footage and films on the conflict. Among the films to be aired is the prize winning "Enlightened by fire" produced by Tristan Bauer. However it was the dramatization of a soldier-manikin staked to the ground which was played before Minister Garre and the commanders of the three services and Chief of Staff which overshadowed the ceremony. Garré said she couldn't censor the small group of veterans behind the protest because she had invited them and ended accepting a protest letter from the relatives of the fallen in Malvinas, headed by Hector Cisneros, and the Chief of Staff in representation of the Argentine Armed Forces in active duty. "We cannot but express our great sadness and discontent with what has been organized to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Malvinas gest", said the letter adding that "the exhibit paves the way to confusion, dishonors the memory of our heroes, and reduces the complexity to a prejudiced and distant vision of the true facts". In her opening speech Garré had emphasized that the exhibition was not that of a unilateral vision, "an only truth, but rather a fair discussion of the several relative truths that united will end up in a synthesis that garners us an approximate interpretation of what this complex process was". "Veterans had their space and they underlined the facts that marked them", she added. Immediately after her speech the letter of protest condemning the staking show was delivered and one of the members of the relatives' commission tried to get hold of the microphone to publicly express his disgust but was convinced not to further complicate the situation. It was then that the commission and most of the military present decided to abandon the Edificio Libertador, "this is a dishonor for our fallen", was the general comment. Actually the staking of the solider-manikin dramatization relates to the extreme punishments received by conscripts during the 1982 conflict in the Islands, mainly by officers from the Argentine Army, some of whom are still in active duty. Human rights organizations have helped former conscripts who suffered such staking to the ground present demands in court against those officers. Apparently 25 cases have reached the office of Minister Garré who is expecting "the officers involved to turn up at her desk". Another controversial issue which apparently could also brew trouble is the film "Enlightened by Fire" which depicts the war based on the experiences and witnesses of conscripts, a vision not necessarily shared by officers.