HIS 232 Latin American History: Human Rights

After watching the movie “The Official Story,” choose at least TWO of the following web sites and read about Argentina’s “Dirty War.” Post on the Blackboard “Discussion Board” your answer to ONE of the following questions: What shocked you the most? Does it seem strange that these events should happen in 20^th century Argentina? Do these events remind you of previous atrocities? How can one explain or justify such behavior?

Documents: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB73/770603dos.pdf

Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo: http://www.iisg.nl/collections/madres.php

Children kidnapped: http://www.thedailyjournalonline.com/article.asp?CategoryId=14093&ArticleId=232365

Detention Centers: http://www.memoriaabierta.org.ar/eng/camino_al_museo_entrevistas.php

Argentina (From web site of United States Institute of Peace)

The 16-member National Commission on the Disappeared was created on December 16, 1983 by then-President Raul Alfonsin. The ten non-legislative members were writer Ernesto Sabato, Roman Catholic Bishop Jaime de Nevares, Rabbi Marshall Meyer, journalist Magdalena Ruiz Guinazu, Methodist Bishop Carlos T. Gattinoni, Ricardo Colombres, Rene Favarolo, Hilario Fernandez Long, Gregorio Klimovsky, and Eduardo Rabossi. Legislators Santiago Marcelino Lopez, Hugo Diogenes Piucill and Horacio Hugo Huarte sat on the commission. The commission’s report on 9,000 disappearances during the 1976-1983 military rule, issued on September 20, 1984, was commercially published under the title of Nunca Mas: Informe de la Comision Nacional sobre la Desaparicion de Personas. Editions of the English language translation of Nunca Mas were published by Faber and Faber and by Farar, Strauss & Giroux in 1986.