{UAH} Italy convicts eight South American Presidents and Military Leaders s in Plan Condor trial

Robert Atuharew/Lt.Col.Tony Owana/ John Kwitonda/Simon Peter Okurut/ Moses Nekyon,

Today is a Red Letter Day and must   be  chastening for Atuhairew and Col.  Owana because of the landmark legal developments taking place in Europe. I have already written about the ruling in the UK Supreme Court yesterday, which will pave the way for the prosecution of  Jack Straw, Tony Blair and his fellow associates who committed shocking atrocities when they invaded Iraq. Here is another hamdinger delivered by the Italian courts, convicting the former Presidents of military regimes in South America, who committed widespread atrocities in the 1970s in the notorious "Operation Condor" in which thousands of left-wing activists, socialists and communists were murdered, or made to disappear, a good number never to be seen again. If any further evidence was needed to convince Robert Atuhairew that he is living in cloud-cuckoo land, what else can be more  convincing than this Italin court decision?  Mr Atuhairew, playing the ostrich game is no good for you; I am sure kayibanda now knows the rule of the game, which is that no one will run away from justice. The cover of legal impunity is blown for ever, and the parameters of the game have changed as victims are now able to speak from the grave. I wish I was still a patron of the alcoholic establishments, I would leave my desk now and have a stiff one. What a great day!!! 

Bobby 

Italy convicts eight South Americans in Plan Condor trial

• 18 January 2017
• From the section Latin America & Caribbean

        

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          Image copyright AFP                            

Image caption The court was packed as the sentences were read out by the judges in Rome

An Italian court has given life sentences to eight South American former political and military leaders over the disappearance of 23 Italian nationals during the 70s and 80s.

Those sentenced include ex-presidents of Bolivia and Peru, and a former foreign minister from Uruguay.

All had cooperated in Operation Condor, run by military governments at the time to fight left-wing dissidents.

Another 19 men were absolved in the trial, that lasted two years.

Several of those sentenced are already serving jail time at home and none appeared in court.

They include former Bolivian President Luis Garcia Meza Tejada who is now 87 and serving a 30-year prison sentence in La Paz, as well as former Peruvian President, Francisco Morales Bermudez, who is now 95.

Mr Garcia Meza's lawyer has said he will appeal.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Many relatives of the Italian victims of Operation Condor attended the sentencing

One of the Italian prosecutors, Tiziana Cugini, told the Reuters news agency the trial had thrown a clear light on Operation Condor, which he called a "criminal conspiracy".

"It's very significant, especially given that heads of state from the time were convicted."

The Vice-President of Uruguay, Raul Sendic said he was disappointed by the sentence but would respect it.

"The Uruguayan government is feeling tranquil because we did everything that had to be done to present proof and witnesses and support the families of the victims."

The trial involved hundreds of witnesses. Martin Almada, a Paraguayan who had given evidence said the outcome was "lamentable and incomprehensible".

• Plan Condor: Argentine former leader jailed
• Plan Condor: Argentine atrocities
• Paraguay's "Archive of Terror"

According to Italian law, the conviction can be appealed against twice before the ruling becomes definitive and the sentences are served.

Should the sentences become definitive, Italy can ask for extradition but, considering the age of the accused, it is more likely that they would serve sentences at home.

Operation Condor was set up in 1975 in Santiago, the capital of Chile in a meeting chaired by the head of the Chilean chief of intelligence services, Manuel Contreras.

Key member countries of Operation Condor were Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Bolivia, with Peru and Ecuador occasionally participating.

Thousands of people were kidnapped, tortured, forcibly disappeared and murdered with people often snatched off the streets or taken from their homes.

Operations crossed international borders with governments helping each other as their security forces chased dissidents, leftists, union and peasant leaders, nuns and priests, intellectuals and students.

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