Friday, September 16, 2016 Uruguay moves to tackle dictatorship crimesGov’t approves bill sent to Congress to create new prosecutor’s office for human rights abusesMONTEVIDEO — Uruguay’s government yesterday sent a bill to Congress to create a prosecutors’ office specializing in crimes against humanity committed during the country’s military dictatorship (1973-1985), local media reported yesterday. “The idea is to transform one of the country’s public prosecutor’s offices, we do not know which yet, into a special prosecutor for crimes against humanity focusing on the last dictatorship,” said local media. However, sources from the Attorney General’s Office declined to disclose the bill’s contents regarding the creation of the new body. Among those convicted was an Uruguayan military officer named Manuel Cordero, the only member of the Uruguayan dictatorship that could legally be tried in Argentina, as Argentine law doesn’t allow trials in absentia and the extradition of other accused officials was denied by the Uruguayan courts. Many of those accused are currently serving sentences in Uruguay, either in prisons or under house arrest.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald September 16, 2016 04:15 UTC