Uruguay senate backs amnesty end for junta crimes
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguay's senate voted narrowly Tuesday night to annul an amnesty for crimes against humanity committed during the 1973-85 dictatorship, adopting a measure that would overrule voters who upheld the law in two referendums.
Backed by leftist President Jose Mujica, the measure passed 16-15 after a 12-hour debate. The legislation now goes to the lower house for minor changes and could become law by May 20 — the day Uruguay honors the political prisoners who were kidnapped and killed during the military junta's crackdown on leftists.
Courts could then prosecute human rights violations committed in Uruguay, fulfilling a key demand of the leftist wing of the governing Broad Front coalition and complying with a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that found the amnesty unconstitutional.
During the debate, Sen. Oscar Lopez Goldaracena of the Broad Front called an end to the amnesty necessary for "removing the rules of impunity and granting rights to the citizenry."
Opposition parties on the right and Uruguay's retired military are angry at the move, and the issue roiled the governing coalition as well, challenging a common political ground this small nation has built through nearly a quarter-century of democracy.
"It's clear now what kind of morality moves our enemies. It's profoundly immoral, antidemocratic," said retired Col. Jose Carlos Araujo, spokesman for the Liberty and Harmony forum of former military officials. "They don't even respect the decisions of the people."
While Argentina has made a priority of prosecuting "dirty war" crimes and Chileans are proud of the human rights prosecutions by their independent judiciary, Uruguay has largely avoided probing old wounds.
The military amnesty law — passed in 1986 as a complement to an earlier amnesty for crimes by leftists — has protected most uniformed officials ever since. The law voted on in the senate would undo only the military amnesty, leaving intact the 1985 amnesty for leftist guerrillas.
A peace commission found in 2003 that 175 political opponents were eliminated during the 12-year dictatorship, including 26 in clandestine torture centers in Uruguay. But in general only crimes against humanity considered to be beyond the amnesty's scope — such as murders committed outside Uruguay — have been prosecuted, leading to prison terms for about a dozen officials.
The 75-year-old Mujica, a Tupamaro guerrilla leader who endured torture and solitary confinement during nearly 15 years in prison before he was freed due to the amnesty, was elected president with a 53 percent majority in 2009.
In that election, Uruguayans also voted by 52 percent to uphold the amnesty — only slightly narrower than the 54 percent who favored amnesty in a plebiscite 20 years earlier.
While Mujica has ruled from the center in his presidency, he strongly backed lifting the amnesty, keeping his promise to the most strident leftists in the Broad Front, which brings together about 20 parties and social organizations.
Mujica's predecessor, Tabare Vazquez, also gave his support to the change, saying: "Majorities aren't always correct in matters of human rights."
The issue is sensitive because abuses were committed on both sides. The leftist Tupamaros declared armed insurrection in 1963 against democratic governments, and their actions led to dozens of murders, kidnappings, robberies, arsons and other attacks. Vanquished by the military a decade later, they were still one of the principal arguments for the military coup in June 1973.
Uruguay's current army chief, Gen. Jorge Rosales, has said retired military members are nervous that they may be tried for murders, tortures and disappearances.
All three opposition parties — the center-right National Party, the right-wing Colorados and the Independent Party — argued against overturning the amnesty.
Colorado Sen. Ope Pasquet disputed the governing coalition's argument that Uruguayans voted in fear to uphold the amnesties. "How would they be fearful in complete democracy? To think that they voted in fear is an insult to the people."
National Party Sen. Francisco Gallinal said eliminating the amnesty "would mean a slap in the face" to the public's will.
Despite the potential for divisiveness, analysts think Uruguayans aren't likely to react by upending the middle-of-the-road politics they've built since the end of the dictatorship.
"Of course there's uneasiness. ... You can't discard the possibility of some isolated episodes," said Adolfo Garce, a political scientist at Uruguay's University of the Republic. But, he added, "An institutional breakdown cannot happen in this country."
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우루과이, 군사정권에 대한 사면권 취하
몬테비데오, 우루과이 (AP) - 우루과이 상원은 과거 군사독재 시절의 인권 침해 사범에 대한 사면법을 취하시킴으로써 1973-1985 사이에 납치와 살해당한 정치범들이 명예를 회복하게 되었다. 사면법은 군사독재정권이 종식된 이후 실시된 국민투표를 통해 과반수 찬성으로 제정됐었다.
앞서 2009년 우루과이 사법부는 군사독재정권 시절 인권탄압 행위 연루자에 대한 사면법을 위헌으로 판결했다. 우루과이에서는 1973~1985년 군사독재정권 기간 민주 인사에 대한 범죄에 사면법이 제정되는 바람에 인권탄압 연루자들에 대한 처벌이 제대로 이루어지지 못했다.
아르헨티나와 칠레가 특별검사법에 의해 과거 군사독재정권에 의한 인권에 대한 범죄를 처벌하였으나 아직도 우루과이는 옛 상처를 치유하지 못하고 있다.
1986년에 제정된 군사 사면법에 의해 대부분의 군인들은 보호를 받아왔으나 이번 상원에서 통과된 사면법은 과거 군인들에 대한 사면권을 박탈하게 된다.
호세 알베르토 무히카 현 대통령은 도시 게릴라 조직인 투파마로스에서 활동한 게릴라 전사 출신이며 15년간 독방에 수감되었다가 사면되어 2009년 53% 득표를 얻어 대통령으로 당선되었다.
중도정치를 펴고 있는 현 무히카 대통령은 사면권의 해제를 강력히 지지하고 있으며 20여개의 정당과 사회운동 조직에 대한 그의 언약을 지켰다.
전임 타바레 바스케스 대통령도 “항상 인권문제에는 다수가 맞은 것은 아니다.” 고 말하면서 사면권 취하를 찬성하고 있다.
현 우루과이 육군 총장도 퇴직한 군 장성들이 과거의 져질렀던 살인, 고문과 행방불명자에 대해 범죄로 처벌을 받을까 봐 신경이 날카로워져 있다고 말했다.
이런 사면권이 취소되더라도 국론이 분열될 것 같지 않으며 우루과이 국민들은 중도 정치에 대해 신뢰를 버리지 않을 것 같다.
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