Table Of ContentState Terrorism in Latin America
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State Terrorism in Latin America
Chile, Argentina, and International Human Rights
Thomas C. Wright
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
ROWMAN & LITILEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Published in the United States of America
by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
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Copyright © 2007 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wright, Thomas C.
State terrorism in Latin America : Chile, Argentina, and international human rights /
Thomas C. Wright.
p. em. - (Latin American silhouettes)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7425-3720-0 (cloth: alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-7425-3720-X (cloth: alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7425-3721-7 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-7425-3721-8 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. State-sponsored terrorism-Chile. 2. State-sponsored terrorism-Argentina. 3.
Human rights-Chile. 4. Human rights-Argentina. I. Title.
HV6322.3.C5W75 2007
982.06'4-dc22
2006027745
Printed in the United States of America
'~C:T7 M The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39 .48-1992.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
List of Acronyms ix
Introduction xi
Part I Human Rights, State Terrorism, and Latin America
Chapter 1 The Human Rights Revolution 3
Chapter 2 The Latin American Human Rights Crisis 17
Part II The Dirty Wars
Chapter 3 Chile under State Terrorism 47
Chapter 4 The Dirty War in Argentina 95
Part III Justice versus Impunity
Chapter 5 Argentina: The Sinuous Path of
Transitional Justice 141
Chapter 6 Chile: Impunity, Truth, and Justice in a
Protected Democracy 179
Conclusion: Chile, Argentina, and
International Human Rights 225
v
vi <--> Contents
Selected Bibliography 233
Index 255
About the Author 267
Acknowledgments
The roots of this book go back to September 1993, when a man I had re
cently met invited me to his Santiago home for a social gathering. As the
typically lengthy Chilean dinner progressed, I became more and more in
trigued with the assembled party. Except for me, all were retomados, former
exiles forced out of Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship. My first thanks,
then, go to Rody Onate for his friendship, for introducing me in a personal
way to the theme of state terrorism and human rights, and for coauthoring a
book on Chilean exile.
I subsequently made the decision to write more about Latin America's hu
man rights crisis during a 2000 visit to El Salvador, where I was deeply moved
by the museum dedicated to the six Jesuits, their housekeeper, and her
daughter who were brutally murdered by a death squad in 1989. That mu
seum on the grounds of the Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeon
Canas in San Salvador--so distant from my Chilean encounter with state
terrorism and human rights-motivated me to delve further into the dark
side of Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. I thank my former student
Kevin Baltz for the introduction to El Salvador and to the museum.
The research for this book was supported by a sabbatical leave granted by
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I thank the university for the sabbati
cal and for travel funding.
This project could not have been done without important contributions
by many people on three continents. I am grateful to everyone who granted
my requests for interviews, all of whom are listed in the bibliography.
vii
viii ,-...__, Acknowledgments
In Santiago, Nancy Guzman, Marfa Paz Vergara, Veronica Reyna, and
Jose Zalaquett offered invaluable assistance and insights. The staffs of two
important research centers, the Fundaci6n de Documentaci6n y Archivo de
la Vicarfa de la Solidaridad and the Fundaci6n de Ayuda Social de las Igle
sias Cristianas (FASIC), were extremely accommodating.
In Buenos Aires, Dr. Agustfn and Graciela Colombo were my link to the
world of the families of the disappeared. I thank them and my colleague Dou
glas Unger for introducing me to them. Patricia Valdez selflessly shared her
knowledge and her contacts. Special thanks go also to Patrick Rice, Marfa
Laura Guembe, Ilda Micucci, and Marta Vasquez. Additionally, I am deeply
indebted to the staffs of the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
and Memoria Abierta.
In Madrid, Carlos Slepoy, Carlos Castresana, and Marcela Pradenas were
particularly helpful during the early stages of my research.
My heartfelt thanks go to Marjorie Agosfn, Raquel Aldana, Alison Brysk,
Joseph A. Fry, Garry Leech, Jerry L. Simich, John C. Super, Dina Titus, and
John S. Wright Jr. for reading and critiquing the manuscript. Their input
greatly improved the product. Series coeditors Judith Ewell and William Bee
zley were generous with their time and advice. Susan McEachern of Rowman
& Littlefield offered guidance and support. Mary Wammack and Erin Buck
provided much-needed technical assistance.
Above all, I am indebted to my wife, companion, and colleague, Dina Ti
tus, whose acumen, critical eye, and encouragement I relied on throughout
this book project.
Acronyms
AAA Alianza Anticomunista Argentina (Argentine Anticom
munist Alliance)
AFDD Agrupaci6n de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos
(Group of Families of Detained Disappeared) (Chile)
APDH Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos (Perma
nent Assembly for Human Rights) (Argentina)
CELS Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (Center for Legal
and Social Studies) (Argentina)
CEMIDA Centro de Militares para la Democracia Argentina ( Cen
ter of Military Personnel for Argentine Democracy)
CNI Central Nacional de Informaciones (National Information
Center) (Chile)
CONADEP Comisi6n Nacional sabre la Desaparici6n de Personas
(National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons)
(Argentina)
DINA Direcci6n Nacional de Inteligencia (National Directorate
of Intelligence) (Chile)
ERP Ejercito Revolucionario del Pueblo (People's Revolution
ary Army) (Argentina)
FASIC Fundaci6n de Ayuda Social de las Iglesias Cristianas (So
cial Aid Foundation of the Christian Churches) (Chile)
FPMR Frente Patri6tico Manuel Rodriguez (Manuel Rodriguez
Patriotic Front) (Chile)
ix
