Informe anual sobre la situación de los Derechos Humanos en la Argentina; 1995

THIS 1995 REPORT, the second in the series, looks at institutional violence in Argentina and analyzes in depth the causes of the problem in order to look at ways of solving it. Serious questions are considered concerning the present state of human rights in Argentina. However, the confessions in 1995 of certain members of the armed forces with regard to their involvement in the horrors committed during the military dictatorship (1976-1983) means that past events have also been taken into account in order to put the present situation into the correct context. The confessions are seen as a result of the strength of the democracy now instated in the country.

However, the impunity of the confessors reveals the same democracy's limitations. This recent reminder of human rights violations has focused the Argentinians on a recent history of violence and put the issue of human rights firmly back onto the political agenda. Because of this, the report presents a chronology of the events surrounding the confessions of Adolfo Francisco Scilingo on March 3rd 1995, together with an analysis of the courts.

In addition to the events relating to the trials of Scilingo, the report brings together the year's most important occurrences with regard to citizen security, discrimination against immigrants and the urban poor, and freedom of expression, in addition to a collection of thematic articles which serve as conclusions on the present state of human rights. Among them is a controversial article about institutional violence in Argentina (which contains a section on the prison system), an analysis of the situation of immigrants from neighbouring countries and a chapter which examines the problems arising from the announcement of new laws concerning new rights as required by the constitution of 1994. The report also considers the lack of economic, social and cultural rights in Argentina, recognizing the suppression of human rights demonstrations throughout the country.