People’s court tries journalists who defended dictatorship

Every Thursday since April 30 1977 the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have marched around Buenos Aires’ historic central square demanding truth and justice for their ‘disappeared’ children, tortured and killed by the military dictatorship of the 1970s.

Yesterday, the traditional act was given extra momentum as an open-air trial inside the square unfurled in front of several thousand spectators.

The symbolic people’s court, with no judicial power, read out a long list of Argentine journalists, including current employees of Claín and La Nación newspapers, accused of colluding with the dictatorship. As the names were pronounced, the crowd let out whistles of disgust.

The trial, which started at 5pm, was presided by Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo president Hebe de Bonafini. Addressing the audience, she said: “We want to recover the reputation of journalism, the reputation of the media and the repuation of journalists.”

Three prosecutors listened to evidence presented by several journalists before the crowd, wearing blue armbands with the word ‘juez’ (judge) written on them, returned a guilty verdict. 

Citing articles published during the 1976 to 1983 military junta, journalist Claudia Acuna – a former Página 12 and Clarín employee – recognised that there had been no freedom of expression during the dictatorship. Yet she condemned editorials that consistently justified what the military referred to as ‘the process’.

Addressing the court, she said: “The criminal plan of the dictatorship included a group of media organisations and individuals whose task was to justify repression and counterbalance reports about human rights violations.”

Giant posters erected around the square showed articles published during the dictatorship, or shortly afterwards, defending military rule. One article from La Nación, 1977, showed a picture of the Argentine and US leaders together under the headline ‘Videla and Carter talk about democracy and human rights’.

Another article from Somos, published in the same year, showed a picture of a so-called rehabilitation centre for extremists under the headline ‘How those who abandon subversion live’. The picture was taken from an underground torture centre.

Whilst the majority of the evidence presented was from articles published during the dictatorship, the court highlighted the fact that many of the journalists concerned were still working for national newspapers, occupying key positions.

The Chamber of Deputies’ Freedom of Expression Commission, controlled by opposition politicians, condemned yesterday’s event.

The trial follows fierce debates in both government chambers about the role of the press and freedom of expression following last year’s controversial media law, passed by Congress but subsequently held up by the courts.

Aimed at breaking monopolies of, amongst others, Grupo Clarín, the government argues its aim is to make the media a more democratic institution. Opponents say it is a cynical move to silence dissenting voices.

 In a intriguing twist, Clarín’s owner Ernestina Hererra de Noble, has been the centre of a recent court case involving irregularities over her adoption of two children during the 1970s. Concerns have been raised as to whether they are the children of disappeared parents illegally abducted by the military. A court recently rejected the children’s application to have their identity kept a secret.

Two weeks ago posters appeared around Buenos Aires showing pictures of 12 Grupo Clarín journalists under the banner ‘Can one be an independent journalist and work for a multimedia owner accused of appropriation children of the disappeared?’

Condemned by politicians and international organisations, it has reignited the debate over freedom of speech and the role of journalists during the dictatorship. Several of the journalists named in the posters were tried at yesterday’s court.

Yesterday’s symbolic act isn’t the first time figures implicated in the dictatorship have been tried by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Previous trials have judged medical staff who worked in torture rooms and Martinez de Hoz, finance minister during the dictatorship.

Last week a judge overturned de Hoz’s pardon granted by former president Carlos Menem and ordered him not to leave the country.

Hebe de Bonafini said it wouldn’t be the last time a popular court was organised to bring justice to those who colluded with the junta. She added: “The next time, it’s going to be the judges.”