The Dirty War in Argentina, which took place in the 1970s, is an unfortunate event that signifies one of the highest points of human rights abuse. Killings by the military juntas took away tens of thousands of lives as they deemed the approach of killing opponents as the best approach to silence opposition (Fouse2015). Moreover, the disposal of dead bodies was driven by the fear of international human rights investigation. Thus, they hid evidence of their actions. Also, they denied the dead leaders a heroic status in case the bodies became public.
It must be noted that “The Dirty War” is an event that has created a scar on many Argentines. Just like any government, the approach employed by the military juntas against political enemies had the implication of inflicting fear on citizens. However, the approach came to an end when the military sensed a revolution. Since then, the country has been in on a path of recovery through the principle of the rule of law. Hence, it is clear that an event like a dirty war occurs where there is no democracy and obedience to the rule of law’.
The Dirty War of 1976 to 1983 was dominated by the government’s brutal campaign against not only suspected subversives and dissidents but also the innocent. Many people were abducted, taken to unknown government detention centres for torture, killed, and bodies dumped, never to be found. The disappeared victims were then famously referred to as the desaparecidos. The Dirty War in Argentina accounted for more than 5,000 identified dead victims and approximately 30,000 victims who disappeared. Also, thousands fled Argentina during this period. Most of the victims who disappeared were women and children (Fouse2015).
Due to a lack of democracy, the gates of anarchy are opened. It should be noted that where there is no democracy, governments are often in constant fear and paranoia. Hence, the government will always want to contain its citizens through extrajudicial killings to protect power. With constant paranoia against its citizens, the deeper such brutality is entrenched. Hence, this was in the case of Argentina. The government was forced to contain its people. Thus, it killed more of them. Also, the reason for disappearing was that the government had to hide evidence and constantly deny its actions. There was also the fear of making the dead political heroes (Fouse2015).
Therefore, the disappearance of the dead bodies was also a political tool for the military regime. However, such an approach to dealing with the opponents has often had negative intergenerational implications. For instance, the “dirty war” has since created significant fear for the people. Even to date, there is a negative perception and fear towards Argentina’s army. There is often the fear that the dirty war may reoccur. Therefore, such an approach to dealing with political opponents often creates fear. Across the generations, such an approach will often create the impression of the “citizen versus those in power” unless there is a rule of law (Diamint and Tedesco 2017).
Finally, Argentina has put in place adequate mechanisms to ensure that abuse of human rights does not occur. For instance, during his rule between 1983 and 1889, President Raul Alfronsin thrived on restoring obedience to the rule of law. He taught the Argentinean citizens that human rights violations are punishable. For such reason, any attempts to pardon perpetrators of the “dirty wars” have been strongly rejected by the people. Hence, even the courts are consistently abiding by the people’s moods. For instance, in 2004, the country’s Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to offer amnesty to war crimes. Such a declaration signified the end of state terrorism. Therefore, the non-negotiable commitment towards punishing human rights violators has become the pillar of reconstruction in Argentina. Moreover, citizens have learnt that violation of the laws is the reason for impunity (Diamint, R. and Tedesco 2017).
In conclusion, the suspension of laws was the foundation of human rights abuse during the “Dirty War.” The brutality by the military juntas led to about 30,000 “Desaparecidos.” The brutality of governments against their people is often triggered by the lack of democracy and the consistent fears by regimes that citizens will turn against them. Abuse of human rights has intergenerational implications where citizens live in constant fear of their rulers. Finally, in Argentina, the “dirty war” is unlikely to occur because Raul Alfronsin laid the foundation of the rule of law and democracy.
References
Diamint, R. and Tedesco, L. (2017). ‘Never Again’ Triumphs over ‘Dirty War’ Impunity in Argentina.Retrieved from https://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Never-Again-Triumphs-over-Dirty-War-Impunity-in-Argentina-20170526-0007.html
Fouse, M. (2015). Uncovering the Truth About Argentina’s Dirty War.
