Latin America Dictatorships Meet Justice, Decades On

A series of articles under this optimistic heading in IPS news brings a panorama of the attempts to make justice in different Latin American countries and Spain. From the conviction of several Argentinean military officers in the “chain of command" to the prosecution of Judge Garzón in Spain to the acquittal of two soldiers and a police officer accused of the disappearance of Peruvian peasant, these articles tell us that we are not yet where we should be regarding human rights.

Starting with the Franco era and following with thirteen military dictatorships in the 60s and 70s in Latin American countries, only a few of these countries have dug dip into the horrors of kidnapping, raping, torturing and killing millions. A great update of what is happening on these issues on both sides of the Atlantic, and a question to be asked: What is stopping democratic leaders in Latin America from prosecuting and convicting these cases?