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Montevideo, Uruguay- March 21, 2012 \u2013 <\/strong>On March 21, the president of\u00a0Uruguay Jose Mujica publicly recognized, in the name of the Uruguayan State, its responsibility for the enforced disappearance of Maria Claudia Garcia Iruretagoyena de Gelman and the\u00a0birth\u00a0in captivity of her daughter\u00a0Macarena\u00a0Gelman, in 1976, during the Uruguayan military dictatorship. The events took place under Operation Condor<\/em>, the coordination between repressive regimes of the Southern Cone. The State also recognized that the Ley de Caducidad de la Pretensi\u00f3n Punitiva del Estado<\/em> (similar to an Amnesty Law) represents an\u00a0obstacle\u00a0to justice.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The act of recognition, was held in\u00a0the grounds of the\u00a0Uruguayan Parliament\u2019s General Assembly, was attended by\u00a0Argentine poet\u00a0Juan\u00a0Gelman\u00a0and his granddaughter Macarena, President Jose\u00a0Mujica, Foreign Affairs Minister Luis\u00a0Almagro, senior authorities, family members, survivors, members of civil society and other citizens. The event was ordered by a ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on February 24, 2011.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the organization that\u00a0litigated the case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on behalf of\u00a0Macarena\u00a0and\u00a0Juan\u00a0Gelman,\u00a0highlights the importance of\u00a0the State\u00b4s public recognition. It must be considered a definite step forward in\u00a0the\u00a0path\u00a0towards truth, justice and redress for the Gelman case and the multiple human rights violations that occurred during the last military dictatorship In Uruguay.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In the words of\u00a0Viviana\u00a0Krsticevic, Executive Director of\u00a0CEJIL:\u00a0“The Gelman case\u00a0is a milestone in\u00a0the pursuit of truth and justice in Uruguay regarding the serious human rights violations that occurred during the dictatorships in South America. We hope that\u00a0the State\u00b4s recognition\u00a0of responsibility will serve as\u00a0an impulse to locate Maria Claudia\u2019s whereabouts and to convict those responsible for this and other Crimes Against Humanity committed during\u00a0the Uruguayan dictatorship,\u00a0that\u00a0remain unpunished. We also hope this political event will inspire the search\u00a0for justice\u00a0and truth\u00a0in other countries\u00a0in the region that\u00a0have still not dealt with the atrocities committed\u00a0in the recent past, such as Brazil\u00a0and\u00a0El Salvador\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n On the morning of March 21, a plaque was inaugurated in memory of Maria Claudia and the victims of State terrorism, illegally detained at the Center for National Studies (CALEN), a military institution that served as a\u00a0clandestine detention center\u00a0during the dictatorship.\u00a0These facilities\u00a0were recently\u00a0handed over to the National Institution for Human Rights.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Contacts in Montevideo<\/strong><\/p>\n Ariela Peralta <\/strong><\/p>\n +5989- 9385236 (cell.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Liliana Tojo <\/strong><\/p>\n (54-11) 3340 9795 (cell.)<\/p>\n
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