Brazilian Senate Constitution and Justice Committee approved this week the bill for the creation of a National Truth Commission to research unsolved serious crimes committed between 1946 and 1988, which includes the controversial military dictatorship period from 1964 to 1985.
Uruguay’s government announced June 27 that it will reopen more than 80 human rights violations allegedly committed during the 1973-85 military dictatorship. The decision follows a long legislative battle but nevertheless remains highly controversial since the latest opinion polls indicate a majority of Uruguayans, 55%, want an end to the discussion.
The (adopted) heirs of one of Argentina’s most powerful media conglomerates will have blood samples taken in a Buenos Aires hospital on Friday after they decided to voluntarily have DNA tests to determine whether they coincide with DNA samples of relatives from people killed during the Argentine dictatorship (1976/1983).-
The adopted children of the influential Argentine media conglomerate ‘Clarin’ have agreed to have their blood drawn for DNA analysis. Blood samples from siblings Marcela and Felipe Noble Herrera will be checked at Argentina’s National Genetic Data Bank (BNDG).
The Wall Street Journal in an article credited to Matt Moffett, tells the story of how the respected human rights group, Mothers of Plaza de Mayo and close ally of Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner are embroiled in a controversy over misused funds.
Under the heading of “Corruption in Argentina: the mother of all scandals?”, The Economist edition of this week has an article on the controversy surrounding the once-revered human rights group Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
The head of Argentina’s Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo organization, Hebe de Bonafini, minimized on Thursday the recent series of judicial raids performed on the organization’s headquarters and assured that “she has nothing to hide.”
A major scandal has unfolded in Argentina involving one of the cherished and exploited banners of the two Kirchner administrations (Nestor and Cristina, 2003/2011): human rights policy and the organization of Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
United Nation Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged that the lessons learned from Argentina’s turn from dictatorship to democracy be applied widely, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East, and he called on Syria to allow humanitarian aid into areas affected by ongoing violence.
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said that the restructuring of Argentina’s debt allowed the resumption of relations with Italy, and in human rights, art and culture Argentina was back in the world map with ‘a bang’.