Bolivian UU continues fight for justice
Update from Olga Flores
Written By: Eric CherryPublished: Monday, March 8, 2010
29 April 2010 Email received today
Message from Olga: We achieve,VIVA!! finally Supreme Court issues declassification order
Dear Laura:
Thanks to the pressure and solidarity of many people and sisters from ICUUW, the Supreme Court has issued a resolution directing the Armed Forces Commander to declassify military archives from the period of the dictatorship.
This openness will allow the families of the disappeared detainees to know where they are, because the army recorded everything and, of course, they know where they buried the missing persons after torturing and killing. In the case of my brother, precisely he was disappeared by the General Staff of the Army and is buried there. This measure also will allow us to know who were the perpetrators of serious human rights violations, they should be subjected to trials to be condemned and they can not plead superior orders.
The order will be delivered today and let us hope that the army heeds the law; otherwise it will only be a joke and they will continue behaving as in times of the dictatorship.
We will fight for truth and justice, till we find our relatives. We will inform about our next steps.
Let´s continue working for a better world.
Thanks again,
Olga
Thanks to the pressure and solidarity of many people and sisters from ICUUW, the Supreme Court has issued a resolution directing the Armed Forces Commander to declassify military archives from the period of the dictatorship.
This openness will allow the families of the disappeared detainees to know where they are, because the army recorded everything and, of course, they know where they buried the missing persons after torturing and killing. In the case of my brother, precisely he was disappeared by the General Staff of the Army and is buried there. This measure also will allow us to know who were the perpetrators of serious human rights violations, they should be subjected to trials to be condemned and they can not plead superior orders.
The order will be delivered today and let us hope that the army heeds the law; otherwise it will only be a joke and they will continue behaving as in times of the dictatorship.
We will fight for truth and justice, till we find our relatives. We will inform about our next steps.
Let´s continue working for a better world.
Thanks again,
Olga
Background:
Olga Flores – a Unitarian Universalist from La Paz, Bolivia – is continuing her leadership in the struggle to have Bolivian Army records of human rights abuses made public. Of central concern is the implementation of court orders allowing special prosecutor Milton Mendoza access to records of ”disappearances” during the Garcia Meza dictatorship.Last May, Olga and three other Bolivians joined together in a Hunger Strike to push the Bolivian military’s hand. Last Thursday they began another hunger strike – though they have now halted it and are focusing their attention instead on the Bolivian Supreme Court of Justice.
The UUA will join with the International Convocation of UU Women, the UU Partner Church Council, the UU Women’s Federation and the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists in supporting Olga and her partners in this courageous work.
The Andean Information Network has published a story about this continuing struggle for justice: Armed Forces leadership informed the Attorney General’s team upon their arrival at headquarters that “the institution had already turned pertinent documentation over to the Judicial Branch and will continue to do so through appropriate channels.” Team member Milton Mendoza called the decision “absurd.”
These diversionary tactics represent yet another chapter of the Bolivian military’s consistent strategy to block investigation and prosecution for human rights violations in civilian courts, although they are bound by Bolivian and international law to do so.
Historically, Bolivia’s armed forces have only provided limited information for the “Black October” case against ex-president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, ex-military commanders and his cabinet. In spite of affirmations to the contrary, the military have refused to testify or provide information in all other cases, citing a variety of excuses.
Click here for a sample letter to send on Olga's behalf.
Source: http://socialjustice.blogs.uua.org/2010/03/02/bolivian-uu-continues-fight-for-justice/
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