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SERPAJ



On Mandela's Visit to Argentina


Servicio Paz y Justicia

     
Buenos Aires, July 23, 1998

The Peace and Justice Service (Servicio Paz y Justicia) welcomes  the 
visit  of  South African President Nelson  Mandela  to  Argentina.  
The Peace and Justice Service  (SERPAJ) was founded in 1974 by
1980 Peace Nobel Laureate Adolfo Perez Esquivel.  

SERPAJ  is  very  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Truth   and 
Reconciliation  Commission in South Africa.  We want to  emphasize 
the  importance of truth and justice in the process  of democracy
building.  After  making much progress towards justice, e.g. the  1985 
trial  against the military junta, Argentina  later opened the  door to 
impunity with several amnesty laws and  decree.  Thus  those 
responsible  for gross human rights violations avoided trial  and 
have since walked free on the streets along with  their  fallen 
victims.  

We  ask  President Mandela to put in his  agenda  with  Argentine 
President  Menem  the question of human rights and  we  also  ask 
President Mandela to investigate the role played by the Argentine 
military  at the end of the 1970s in South Africa. One  example of this
is  Jorge  Enrique Perren, a Navy Officer, who kidnaped, killed  and 
tortured  persons in Argentina between March 24, 1976 (date of  the 
last Coup d'etat) and 1978 (the dictatorship continued until December 1983).
He  then  went to South Africa where he stayed from October  1979 to 
February 1982.  Officially, he was a "student" at the Marine (Navy) War School 
in Muyzenberg, suburbs of Cape Town and was living in  Bergvliet, 
60  Children's  Way.  At  least two  others  Navy  Officers  were 
together  with  him at that time. To know what  they  really  did 
there  is  important  for  the  truth,  in  SouthA frica  and  in 
Argentina.

Servicio  Paz  y  Justicia, SERPAJ, Piedras  730,  (1070)  Buenos 
Aires,     Argentina.     Phone/fax     54-1-361.5745,     email: 
serpaj@serpaj.wamani.apc.org 


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