Uruguay removing amnesty for dictatorship crimes

[Judi Lynn]

Uruguay removing amnesty for dictatorship crimes
By Associated Press
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 - Added 2 minutes ago

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Uruguay’s senate is expected on Tuesday to annul an amnesty for crimes against humanity committed during the 1973-85 dictatorship, overturning the view of voters who upheld the law in two referendums.

Backed by leftist President Jose Mujica, the measure would then return to the lower house for minor changes and could become law by May 20 — the day Uruguay honors the 174 political prisoners who were kidnapped and killed during the military junta’s crackdown on leftists.

Courts could then prosecute human rights violations committed on Uruguayan soil, fulfilling a key demand of the leftist wing of the governing Broad Front coalition and complying with a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that found the amnesty unconstitutional.

Opposition parties on the right and Uruguay’s retired military are angry at the change, and the issue has roiled the governing coalition as well, challenging a common political ground this small nation has built through nearly a quarter-century of democracy.

More:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/americas/view/20110412uruguay_removing_amnesty_for_dictatorship_crimes/