Pro-dictatorship groups rally in Argentina while witness remains missing

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by Marie Trigona

Thousands in Argentina protested against the nation's human rights policies on Thursday and called for amnesty for former military officers who served under the military dictatorship. After 19 days of searching, there are still no signs of the missing 77-year-old witness whose gripping testimony of torture helped convict a former police officer in the first junta trial since an amnesty law was overturned.

Pro-dictatorship groups chanted slogans saying that the bloody tactics used by the dictatorships were justified in the fight against subversive groups. With photos of military personnel allegedly killed by guerilla groups, orators called for amnesty for all military officers accused of human rights abuses during the 1976-1983 dictatorship, including Miguel Etchecolatz a former police investigator who was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes committed against humanity during the dictatorship.