The Human Rights Actions Network
http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/actions/
ACTION REQUEST
Currently, in Argentina, 15 political prisoners are in serious condition after 90 days of a hunger strike which began to bring attention to a serious injustice. Their requests for a fair trial have so far been ignored. We need your help to let the authorities know that public concern for this situation is occurring worldwide. THE FACTS On January 23, 1989, 42 armed civilians, members of Movimiento Todos por la Patria (MTP), launched an attack on the barracks of the Infantry Regiment No. 3, located at La Tablada, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The attack precipitated a combat of approximately 30 hours duration between the attackers and Argentine military personnel which resulted in the deaths of 29 of the attackers and several State agents. Although democracy was restored in Argentina in December 1983 after almost eight years of military dictatorship, several uprisings involving the armed forces have occurred since then, including one that took place little over a month before the events at La Tablada. The surviving among the men and women who attacked the barracks have sustained that they decided to enter the La Tablada barracks because of information that a new military coup was being planned there. After the fighting at the base had ceased, members of the Argentine armed forces participated in the summary execution of four of the captured attackers, the disappearance of six others, and the torture of a number of other captured attackers, which occurred both in the barracks and in police facilities. Following the attack, five MTP members were arrested in an area near the barracks, and two others turned themselves in voluntarily to the authorities who detained them. These seven persons were tortured physically and psychologically. THE TRIAL The same persons, members of the MTP, as well as thirteen attackers captured in the barracks at La Tablada on January 24, 1989, subsequently were tried and convicted under Law 23.077, known as "Law for the Defense of Democracy", and given prison terms that ranged from 10 years to life. In accordance with the provisions of the law, the trial began before a court of second instance, which handed down its sentence on October 5, 1989. The petitioners appealed this ruling by means of a special appeal, which was rejected. The defense then filed an appeal directly to the Supreme Court of the Argentine Republic, which dismissed it on March 17, 1992. It is worth noting that the MTP is a political movement that has operated legally in Argentina since May 1986. It has participated in the elections for national and provincial authorities. Its activities were not outlawed either before or after January 1989. The surviving members of MTP, along with numerous Argentine and international human rights organizations have argued that, during the trial, the authorities acted with the intention of covering up the violations committed by State agents. Those violations were reported during the proceedings, but were investigated separately in so-called "parallel proceedings," which were not conducted in a serious or thorough manner, resulting in a lack of clear or conclusive information with respect to the violations alleged in connection with the events of at La Tablada. More than eleven years have passed since the trial ended. 15 of the MTP members remain in jail with sentences of life in prison, 5 have been paroled, 2 who were citizens of Spain were transferred to their country as a result of an international treaty and an international order of capture is pending on the remaining 6. INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION OF THE TRIAL A report filed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), an office of the Organization of American States, studied the arbitrary practices that took place during the judiciary proceedings. Among a number of other human rights abuses uncovered by the report there is the violation of the right of legitimate defense in trial, since the accused were not granted an instance of appeal, as it is stated in the Constitution of the Argentine Republic. The CIDH report also determined that 9 of the MTP members were murdered by the Argentine armed forces after the capture of the former; that, while in custody, all the detainees were tortured; and that none of these events was investigated by the authorities, although all of them were denounced by human rights organizations, the press, and the prisoners themselves. The CIDH report is available at http//www.cidh.org/annualrep/97eng/97ench3a10an.htm THE HUNGER STRIKE The prisoners of the La Tablada case have been asking since the end of the trial that the Argentine Constitution be applied to them, so that they can enjoy the benefits of an unbiased investigation of the events and an instance of appeal. This year they decided to go on hunger strike to overcome the indifference of the Argentine Congress and the government of president Fernando de la Rua, in office since December 1999. The first strike lasted for nearly sixty days, beginning in May 2000, and concluded when the government promised a parliamentary debate to modify the law, so that the instance of appeal could take place. As the Argentinean parliament decided to indefinitely postpone the treatment of the problem, the prisoners reinitiated the hunger strike on September 3, 2000. The strike has enjoyed the support of religious leaders, intellectuals, secretaries of union federations, student organizations and other grassroots groups within Argentina and abroad. Among those asking the Argentinean government for a revision of the case are members of the National Congress and international political figures such as the philosopher Alain Touraine, Danielle Mitterrand, and former president of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega. To this day, the strikers' physical condition is serious. They have fasted for over 90 days and all of them have been brought to hospitals. They need more support from the international public opinion in order to be heard. ***************** WHAT TO DO? ***************** **WRITE A LETTER TO THE ARGENTINEAN AUTHORITIES asking for an impartial revision of the case and a fair trial for the prisoners of La Tablada. Dr. Fernando de la Rua Presidencia de la Nacion Balcarce 50 (1064), Capital Federal Republica Argentina Fax+5411 4328 6038/6039 presidente@presidencia.net.ar privada@presidencia.net.ar Dr. Federico Storani Ministerio del Interior Balcarce 50 (1064), Capital Federal Republica Argentina diredcom@mininterior.gov.ar Dr. Jorge Enrique de la Rua Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos Sarmiento 329 (1041), Capital Federal Republica Argentina minjus@jus.gov.ar **WRITE A LETTER OF SUPPORT TO THE PRISONERS presos@tablada.org Visit their web page (in Spanish) at http//www.tablada.org/ **FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO FRIENDS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ H.I.J.O.S. Vancouver ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
