State Terrorism in Latin America: Chile, Argentina, and International Human Rights PDF
Preview State Terrorism in Latin America: Chile, Argentina, and International Human Rights
State Terrorism in Latin America This page intentionally left blank State Terrorism in Latin America Chile, Argentina, and International Human Rights Thomas C. Wright ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK ROWMAN & LITILEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowmanlittlefield.com Estover Road Plymouth PL6 7PY United Kingdom Copyright © 2007 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wright, Thomas C. State terrorism in Latin America : Chile, Argentina, and international human rights / Thomas C. Wright. p. em. - (Latin American silhouettes) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7425-3720-0 (cloth: alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-7425-3720-X (cloth: alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-7425-3721-7 (pbk.: alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-7425-3721-8 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. State-sponsored terrorism-Chile. 2. State-sponsored terrorism-Argentina. 3. Human rights-Chile. 4. Human rights-Argentina. I. Title. HV6322.3.C5W75 2007 982.06'4-dc22 2006027745 Printed in the United States of America '~C:T7 M The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39 .48-1992. Contents Acknowledgments vii List of Acronyms ix Introduction xi Part I Human Rights, State Terrorism, and Latin America Chapter 1 The Human Rights Revolution 3 Chapter 2 The Latin American Human Rights Crisis 17 Part II The Dirty Wars Chapter 3 Chile under State Terrorism 47 Chapter 4 The Dirty War in Argentina 95 Part III Justice versus Impunity Chapter 5 Argentina: The Sinuous Path of Transitional Justice 141 Chapter 6 Chile: Impunity, Truth, and Justice in a Protected Democracy 179 Conclusion: Chile, Argentina, and International Human Rights 225 v vi <--> Contents Selected Bibliography 233 Index 255 About the Author 267 Acknowledgments The roots of this book go back to September 1993, when a man I had re cently met invited me to his Santiago home for a social gathering. As the typically lengthy Chilean dinner progressed, I became more and more in trigued with the assembled party. Except for me, all were retomados, former exiles forced out of Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship. My first thanks, then, go to Rody Onate for his friendship, for introducing me in a personal way to the theme of state terrorism and human rights, and for coauthoring a book on Chilean exile. I subsequently made the decision to write more about Latin America's hu man rights crisis during a 2000 visit to El Salvador, where I was deeply moved by the museum dedicated to the six Jesuits, their housekeeper, and her daughter who were brutally murdered by a death squad in 1989. That mu seum on the grounds of the Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeon Canas in San Salvador--so distant from my Chilean encounter with state terrorism and human rights-motivated me to delve further into the dark side of Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. I thank my former student Kevin Baltz for the introduction to El Salvador and to the museum. The research for this book was supported by a sabbatical leave granted by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I thank the university for the sabbati cal and for travel funding. This project could not have been done without important contributions by many people on three continents. I am grateful to everyone who granted my requests for interviews, all of whom are listed in the bibliography. vii viii ,-...__, Acknowledgments In Santiago, Nancy Guzman, Marfa Paz Vergara, Veronica Reyna, and Jose Zalaquett offered invaluable assistance and insights. The staffs of two important research centers, the Fundaci6n de Documentaci6n y Archivo de la Vicarfa de la Solidaridad and the Fundaci6n de Ayuda Social de las Igle sias Cristianas (FASIC), were extremely accommodating. In Buenos Aires, Dr. Agustfn and Graciela Colombo were my link to the world of the families of the disappeared. I thank them and my colleague Dou glas Unger for introducing me to them. Patricia Valdez selflessly shared her knowledge and her contacts. Special thanks go also to Patrick Rice, Marfa Laura Guembe, Ilda Micucci, and Marta Vasquez. Additionally, I am deeply indebted to the staffs of the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS) and Memoria Abierta. In Madrid, Carlos Slepoy, Carlos Castresana, and Marcela Pradenas were particularly helpful during the early stages of my research. My heartfelt thanks go to Marjorie Agosfn, Raquel Aldana, Alison Brysk, Joseph A. Fry, Garry Leech, Jerry L. Simich, John C. Super, Dina Titus, and John S. Wright Jr. for reading and critiquing the manuscript. Their input greatly improved the product. Series coeditors Judith Ewell and William Bee zley were generous with their time and advice. Susan McEachern of Rowman & Littlefield offered guidance and support. Mary Wammack and Erin Buck provided much-needed technical assistance. Above all, I am indebted to my wife, companion, and colleague, Dina Ti tus, whose acumen, critical eye, and encouragement I relied on throughout this book project. Acronyms AAA Alianza Anticomunista Argentina (Argentine Anticom munist Alliance) AFDD Agrupaci6n de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos (Group of Families of Detained Disappeared) (Chile) APDH Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos (Perma nent Assembly for Human Rights) (Argentina) CELS Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (Center for Legal and Social Studies) (Argentina) CEMIDA Centro de Militares para la Democracia Argentina ( Cen ter of Military Personnel for Argentine Democracy) CNI Central Nacional de Informaciones (National Information Center) (Chile) CONADEP Comisi6n Nacional sabre la Desaparici6n de Personas (National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons) (Argentina) DINA Direcci6n Nacional de Inteligencia (National Directorate of Intelligence) (Chile) ERP Ejercito Revolucionario del Pueblo (People's Revolution ary Army) (Argentina) FASIC Fundaci6n de Ayuda Social de las Iglesias Cristianas (So cial Aid Foundation of the Christian Churches) (Chile) FPMR Frente Patri6tico Manuel Rodriguez (Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front) (Chile) ix
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