Argentina Dirty War
2004 Reports
111111--07/19/04 Information Warfare and Cyberwar: Capabilities and Related Policy Issues -- Updated ... 111111--11/15/04 War Powers Resolution: Presidential Compliance -- Updated ... 111111--03/11/04 The War Powers Resolution: After Thirty Years -- NEW! ... [Read More]
Strengthening Multilateral Nonproliferation Regimes
I. IntroductionMr. Chairman, Senator Cochran, and Members of the Sub-Committee:It is my privilege to testify before you today on behalf of the State Department on the important subject of multilateral nonproliferation regimes, which play a vital role in U.S. and international efforts to impede the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), missiles for their delivery, and advanced conventional weapons.Nonproliferation continues to be one of the most important and complex of America’s foreign policy challenges. Preventing the spread of WMD and missiles is among the President’s highest national security priorities. He has made clear that halting proliferation is a central tenet of U.S. foreign policy and has articulated the need for a comprehensive strategy to combat this threat.We are responding to this challenge with an activist agenda that includes a bro ... [Read More]
Western Hemisphere
The Embassy raised specific human rights cases noted in the Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Argentina with national and provincial government officials, including legislators, the Secretariat of Human Rights for Buenos Aires Province, and the Buenos Aires Provincial Security Minister. The Government subsequently acted to dismiss 69 officials of the Federal Penitentiary Service suspected of corruption and dismissed a number of Federal Police officials suspected of corruption. The Province of Buenos Aires also examined the financial disclosure statements of provincial police chiefs and implemented a torture prevention program aimed to reduce abuses in the province. Finally, the Government revoked a decree preventing extraditions for human rights violations committed during the country's "dirty war" and sought and achieved the nullification of de-facto amnesty laws for dirty war violations. ... [Read More]
Progress Report on the Global War on Terrorism
Since September 11, 2001, the FBI has received and assessed the credibility of approximately 3,600 threats to the United States. The National Threats Warning System has issued 62 threat warnings, 55 Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alerts, and 82 Intelligence Bulletins. These warnings are disseminated to more than 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies in the United States, over 60 Federal agencies and subcomponents, and all U.S. Attorneys. ... Success in the global war against terrorism depends on the actions of a powerful coalition of nations maintaining a united front against terror. Over 170 nations continue to participate in the war on terrorism by taking terrorists into custody, freezing terrorist assets and providing military forces and other support. International organizations are becoming more agile, adapting their structures to meet changing threats. We support the actions of our partners as they facilitate international, regional, and local solutions to the challenge of terrorism. ... [Read More]
Argentina
Legal efforts continued in a number of European countries, including France, Italy, and Spain, to prosecute those believed responsible for disappearances and killings during the military regime. Judicial authorities planning to prosecute these and other "dirty war" cases traveled to Spain and France to interview witnesses. ... The Government generally respected the human rights of its citizens; however, there were problems in some areas. There were instances of killings and brutality by police and prison officials. Authorities prosecuted some police for such actions, although impunity remained a serious problem. Police corruption was also a problem, although the federal Government and the provincial governments in Buenos Aires and Cordoba removed corrupt police officials. Jails and prisons were often overcrowded. Police sometimes arbitrarily arrested and detained citizens. The judiciary continued to work through the legacy of human rights abuses committed during the "dirty war" of the 1976-83 military regime, and the Supreme Court ruled that crimes against humanity were not subject to statutes of limitations. Anti-Semitism remained a concern despite government efforts to combat it. A Federal Court in Buenos Aires acquitted 22 defendants charged with the 1994 bombing of the Buenos Aires Jewish Community Cente ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Men wear medium-weight woolen suits during the cool months (mid-April to mid-November) and tropical worsted and wash-and-wear suits during the warm months. Many wear vests or sweaters under suit coats for extra warmth in July and August. The same type of wardrobe worn in Washington, D.C., is needed here, except that heavy overcoats are seldom needed. ... Woolen suits, dresses, pants, blouses, and sweaters are basics for Argentine winter wardrobes. Readymade woolen and knit clothing can be found locally in sophisticated styles. Raincoats and coats are necessary, although winter weather is less severe than in Washington, D.C. Lightweight summer clothing is recommended for the warm, humid months. Local cotton fabrics are available, but drip-dry fabrics are seldom found. Tall and large sizes are virtually nonexistent. Most personnel purchase clothing from U.S. catalogs or while visiting the U.S. ... [Read More]
Argentina
Argentina is a federal constitutional democracy with an executive branch headed by an elected president, a bicameral legislature, and a separate judiciary. In 1999 voters elected President Fernando de la Rua in generally free and fair elections. After protests in December 2001, de la Rua resigned and was succeeded briefly by three interim presidents before the Legislative Assembly elected Eduardo Duhalde to serve out the remainder of the de la Rua term. The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary, but judges and judicial staff were inefficient and at times subject to political influence.The President is the constitutional commander-in-chief, and a civilian Defense Minister oversees the armed forces. Several agencies share responsibility for maintaining law and order. The Federal Police (PFA) report to the Ministry of Justice, Security, and Human Rights, as do the Border Police (" ... [Read More]
Argentina
In March a federal court gave former naval officer Alfredo Astiz a 3-month suspended jail due to statements he made during a January 1998 interview with a news magazine in which he claimed that he was a trained killer of political and media targets. The navy stripped Astiz of his rank and retirement pay following the interview. Astiz is subject to an Interpol arrest warrant for human rights violations committed during the 1976-83 dirty war period. This warrant is based on his 1990 sentence to life imprisonment in France (where he was tried in absentia) for his role in the disappearance of the French nuns Alice Domon and Leonie Duquet. He has also been linked to the disappearance of a Swedish teenager, Dagmar Hagelin. ... [Read More]
Argentina
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The Constitution states that the Federal Government "sustains the apostolic Roman Catholic faith" and provides it some privileges not available to other religions. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report. [Read More]
Argentina (09/04)
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements. Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include information on entry requirements, currency regulations, health conditions, areas of instability, crime and security, political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Public Announcements are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Free copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau of Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system: 202-647-3000. Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings also are available on the Consular Affairs Int ... [Read More]
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