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16Dec10
Rights court rules Brazil amnesty law invalid
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled that a 1979 Brazilian amnesty law is invalid and that Brazil is responsible for the disappearance of 61 people during its 1964-1985 military dictatorship. In a decision announced Tuesday, the court found that the law, which shielded military officials from prosecution, was incompatible with the American Convention on Human Rights. The court ordered the Brazilian government to conduct a criminal investigation into an anti-guerrilla military operation in the Araguaia region between 1972 and 1974. The court also ruled that 42 direct relatives of the victims should receive USD $45,000 each in compensation for their suffering and that 28 indirect relatives should receive $15,000 each. The ruled that all 70 relatives should also receive $3,000 each for medical and psychological treatment. Brazil's president-elect Dilma Rousseff, who takes office on January 1, has pledged to bring human rights violators to justice and will be responsible for implementing the court's decision.
Other Latin American countries have recently taken steps to end amnesties for their military dictatorships. In March, Amnesty International (AI) urged government officials in El Salvador to repeal a 1993 amnesty law that prevents any investigation into killings committed during the country's 12-year civil war, including the killing of respected Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero. Last year, the Uruguayan Supreme Court struck down the country’s Expiry Law, which granted amnesty to military officials accused of human rights violations during the country's 1973-1985 dictatorship. In 2005, Argentina's Supreme Court struck down similar amnesty laws adopted in the 1980s to protect potential defendants, prompting the government to reopen hundreds of human rights cases.
[Source: By Jacklyn Belczyk, Paper Chase, Pittsburgh, 16Dec10]
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