Ex-Chile officers guilty of 1973 reporter's death

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Ex-Chile officers guilty of 1973 reporter's death
– 1 hr 14 mins ago

SANTIAGO (AFP) – Chile's Supreme Court on Thursday found six ex-navy officers guilty in the abduction and execution of a Chilean journalist one day after the coup that ushered in the 1973-1990 military dictatorship.

Journalist Jaime Aldoney Vargas was kidnapped on September 12, 1973. The journalist, who was also a socialist town alderman, was tortured and later executed at the naval air base of El Belloto.

The court sentenced retired navy captains Patricio Villalobos, Pedro Arancibia, Jaime Urdangarin and German Valdivia to five years prison with probation for their role in the reporter's abduction.

Another retired navy captain, Guillermo Vidal, was sentenced to five years prison for attempting to cover for his colleagues, while a fifth captain, Sergio Mendoza, was sentenced to four years prison with probation.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110506/wl_afp/chilejusticerights_20110506032415

[Proletariatprincess]

1. It has taken almost 40 years

for Chile to finally come to grips with the horrors of the 1973 coup. But to her credit, Chile is facing her demons now.
It makes me wonder if 40 years from now the Bush crime family, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest the evil doers will finally be brought to justice.
That is assuming, of course, that there even is a USA 40 years from now.

[freshwest]

3. That's why those investigations that seem to go nowhere now, may yet have an effect.

[sabrina 1]

8. Sad that it took so long, as many of the criminals are probably

no longer living. But I hope the Bush gang are watching what is happening there because it can, and I hope will, happen here, maybe 20 years from now? They will all be either old or dead by then, but they must realize the threat to their precious 'legacies'.

The majority of the world's people will not tolerate torture and injustice even if it seems that way for a while.

I hope the Bush gang are getting extremely nervous looking around the world from Latin America to Egtyp and Tunisia, where justice is happening much faster. Mubarak and Ben Ali and their regimes are facing the trial for crimes against their people. All former allies, shamefully, of this country. Mubarak is facing the death penalty. And to think this country was still supporting him and calling him a 'good friend and ally' and 'not a dictator' even as his people were demanding an end to his brutal regime's grip on their country.

Watching all this, in Chile, in Argentina, Egypt and Tunisia not to mention the demands by victims of Bush's torture chambers for justice, should give them some sleepless nights.

As Col. Wilkerson said yesterday 'they will not be able to travel anywhere, (Rumsfeld/Bush/Cheney et al) There will be only two countries they can safely travel to, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Remember Bush had to cancel a trip to Switzerlan because of war crimes allegations, and I think the fear of an arrest warrant there, a few months ago.

[rabs]

2. Was just reading the story in La Nacion of Santiago

Jaime Aldoney Vargas was last seen severely tortured and taken out of a Carabineros jail in the town of Limache, south of Santiago, by Navy troops. He was taken to a merchant marine vessel named "Maipo" and from there was "bin laden-ed," dumped at sea.

The former officers found guilty will not be spending one day in prison.

The five were granted "libertad vigilada," (supervised liberty.") However, the ex-officers were ordered to pay a joint fine in Chilean pesos equal to U$S 65,000 to two of Vargas' brothers.

[mackerel]

4. Just like the Argentinian officers, most of the Chilean

officers receive immunity in order to get information documented.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Unbearable. Can't imagine a government so diseased it would torture journalists.

The more you learn, the more you realize it's really not that unusual in fascist countries, unfortunately.

Looks as if it's a very real problem in Honduras, and Colombia, still. Maybe Peru, as well.

Evil people fear the truth being told about them.

It's painful seeing the man's face, knowing what happened to him, but it's very important to see it. Thank you for filling in some needed information, and for his photo.

If only we could think we've seen the last of this insanity.

[leveymg]

5. Chile has always been the laboratory for democracy. It was almost killed there, but came back

Hopefully, this accounting points to things to come for the other so-called democracies.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Good. Now justice for the murder of Charles Horton and his associates.

You probably are familiar with them from the 1978 movie, Missing, starring Jack Lemmon, John Shea, and Sissy Spacek.

http://www.wadsworth.com/history_d/special_features/at_the_movies/missing/description.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmNKBhvcn0Y

[Judi Lynn]

9. Congress Votes to Keep Files on Argentine War Secret

Congress Votes to Keep Files on Argentine War Secret
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 13, 2011

An effort to declassify American intelligence files on Argentina’s dictatorship failed in Congress on Friday in Washington, disappointing rights activists in Argentina who believe the secret documents could help them identify young people stolen as babies by the military junta. The amendment by Representative Maurice D. Hinchey, Democrat of New York, left, was rejected by a vote of 214 to 194. It would have compelled American intelligence agencies to declassify their files on the 1976-1983 dictatorship, which was closely monitored by United States intelligence agencies. A similar amendment in 1999 resulted in the Chile declassification project under President Bill Clinton, which led to the publication of more than 24,000 documents that helped prosecute crimes against humanity committed during the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Most of the files on Argentina remain secret.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/world/americas/14briefs-Argentina.html

[Judi Lynn]

10. Earlier article: Kissinger approved Argentinian 'dirty war'

Kissinger approved Argentinian 'dirty war'
Declassified US files expose 1970s backing for junta
Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles The Guardian,
Saturday 6 December 2003 02.20 GMT

Henry Kissinger gave his approval to the "dirty war" in Argentina in the 1970s in which up to 30,000 people were killed, according to newly declassified US state department documents.
Mr Kissinger, who was America's secretary of state, is shown to have urged the Argentinian military regime to act before the US Congress resumed session, and told it that Washington would not cause it "unnecessary difficulties".

The revelations are likely to further damage Mr Kissinger's reputation. He has already been implicated in war crimes committed during his term in office, notably in connection with the 1973 Chilean coup.

The material, obtained by the Washington-based National Security Archive under the Freedom of Information Act, consists of two memorandums of conversations that took place in October 1976 with the visiting Argentinian foreign minister, Admiral César Augusto Guzzetti. At the time the US Congress, concerned about allegations of widespread human rights abuses, was poised to approve sanctions against the military regime.

According to a verbatim transcript of a meeting on October 7 1976, Mr Kissinger reassured the foreign minister that he had US backing in whatever he did.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/dec/06/argentina.usa

[Judi Lynn]

11. More information: Argentina: US shows hypocrisy on human rights

May 13, 5:29 PM EDT
Argentina: US shows hypocrisy on human rights
By MICHAEL WARREN
Associated Press

~snip~
Most of the U.S. files on Argentina still remain secret, and some of those voting against the measure said it's best they stay that way. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from Alabama, said declassifying them would distract U.S. spies from the fight against al-Qaida.

But Alan Iud, an attorney representing the rights group known as Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, said, "I can't understand how a country can proclaim itself a defender of human rights while its congress puts obstacles in the way of a grandmother reuniting with her grandchild."

The rights group has helped 104 people, now adults between 30-35 years old, recover their identities after being stolen at birth from detainees who were later killed. They're still searching for 400 others who may have been born in clandestine torture centers and adopted illegally. Two former dictators are on trial in the baby thefts. All together, as many as 30,000 people were killed or disappeared, activists say.

~snip~
"The United States can play a vital role in lifting the veil of secrecy that has shrouded the terrible human rights abuses of the despotic military regime that ruled Argentina," he said in a statement. "Our intelligence community may hold the key to helping unlock some of the mysteries behind the identities of hundreds of Argentine citizens who were separated from their biological families as a result of the atrocities."

More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_ARGENTINA_SECRET_US_FILES?SECTION=HOME&SITE=AP&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT