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June 1998 |
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June 1998 |
Prisoner's Corner
Fray Antonio PuigjaneOn June 13, Capuchin priest Juan Antonio Puigjané will be 70 years old and will have spent nearly 10 years in jail in Argentina for crimes he did not commit.
Fray Antonio is one of those rare members of the clergy who believes that he should help the poor and oppressed in addition to preaching that God will help them. He put his beliefs into action by founding Movimiento Todos por la Patria (MTP, All for the Fatherland Movement), a group dedicated to helping the most needy in Argentine society and opposed to the amnesties granted to the military who committed human rights abuses during the "Dirty War." Without Fray Antonio's knowledge, some members of the MTP attempted to take over a military base in a misguided attempt to strengthen Argentina's young democracy. The other members had been convinced that the take over would cause an uprising in the Argentine people in an overwhelming show of support for democracy.
Fray Antonio was never told of the plans to take over the base. Indeed, his compañeros had made sure that Fray Antonio did not know of the plans because they knew he would be opposed to such violence and they didn't want him to be implicated. Fray Antonio expressed shock and concern when he first learned of the attack and that his friends were involved.
Nearly a week later, Fray Antonio voluntarily appeared before a judge at the recommendation of a friend. Fray Antonio was arrested and then tortured while interrogated and threatened with death. After a farce of a trial in which the prosecuting attorney was temporarily assigned to the defense, key witnesses didn't testify because they were out of the country, the defense was not allowed to present its own expert testimony, the judges used conjecture to find Fray Antonio guilty, and he was not allowed to appeal his conviction, Fray Antonio began serving his 20-year sentence.
His case was appealed to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and was accepted in September 1992. Amnesty International adopted Fray Antonio as a Prisoner of Conscience in March 1995. After more than five years, the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights found that the Argentine government had tortured Fray Antonio, and violated his rights to justice and to appeal his conviction to a higher court.
The Inter-American Commission recommended that the Argentine government take the most appropriate measures to "repair the harm suffered" by Fray Antonio. As Fray Antonio approaches his 70th birthday, there can be only one way to repair the harm: give Fray Antonio his freedom immediately and without conditions. Please write Argentine President Carlos Menem and ask for Fray Antonio's freedom. President Menem's address is: Casa Rosada, Balcarce 50, Buenos Aires C.F., Argentina. Fax 54-1-344-3754, e-mail presidente@presidencia.ar
