These attempts by the left to try and bring to "justice" former dictators and officials of other governments is an incentive for the governments and dictators to fight to the last top retain power.
Posted on 07/26/2003 7:22:01 AM PDT by knighthawk
The "Blond Angel of Death", a navy captain who symbolized repression under Argentina's military dictatorship, has been arrested after President Nestor Kirchner allowed his extradition to Spain on human rights charges.
The arrest of former frigate captain Alfredo Astiz brings to 16 the number of former top military officials awaiting extradition under Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon's request for 46 collaborators with the 1976-1983 regime.
Attempts to bring the military to justice in Argentina had been thwarted by an amnesty under president Raul Alfonsin and backed by Carlos Menem during the 1990s.
Trial outside Argentina had been blocked by a decree signed by Mr Menem's successor, Fernando de la Rua.
Some 30,000 people were killed or went missing, and some 500 children were abducted during the dictatorship.
But Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa and Justice Minister Gustavo Beliz announced yesterday that Mr Kirchner had revoked the decree, clearing the way for the extradition of Astiz and 45 other people wanted in Spain.
The arrest of Astiz, one of the most notorious actors in the "dirty war" against suspected opponents, carries enormous symbolism in Argentina.
An Argentine judge on Thursday ordered the arrests of 45 former military officials and one civilian for possible extradition to Spain on charges of human rights violations, after the international police agency Interpol forwarded extradition requests issued by Justice Garzon.
Astiz, 50, dubbed the "Blond Angel of Death", has already been sentenced in absentia to life in prison by a French court for the deaths of two French nuns during the dictatorship.
Mr Kirchner came to office in May vowing to end impunity for those tied to the military junta and quickly purged the military of officials that still had ties to the abuses committed under the dictatorship.
Amnesties approved in 1986 and 1987 had blocked charges against thousands of former Argentine dictatorship officials for human rights violations.
The Washington Office on Latin America, a US-based think-tank, praised the arrest orders as a victory for international justice.
"Argentina's stance should be welcomed by all those who struggle to consolidate the rule of law in Latin America," the group's deputy director Kimberly Stanton said.
Spain's Justice Garzon has pioneered the effort to bring officials from Latin American dictatorships to justice.
Justice Garzon, known for his attempt from former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to trial, last month won the extradition of former Argentine naval officer Ricardo Miguel Cavallo to Spain, where he is charged with genocide and terrorism under Argentina's dictatorship.
The arrest warrants issued Thursday in Argentina are for 45 former top military officers, including former dictators Jorge Videla and Emilio Massera, and one civilian.
These attempts by the left to try and bring to "justice" former dictators and officials of other governments is an incentive for the governments and dictators to fight to the last top retain power.
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