Transitional Justice in Latin America

1. Transitional Justice in Latin America -Are trials desirable? What are their limitations? -What are limitations of truth commissions? -What kinds of trials are possible?

2. Su madre pregunta que pasó Fue a ver a su novia pasadas Las diez “Desperté al sentir disparos.Mi hijo anoche no llegó.” Madre no preguntes Que pasó lo sé Testigos no habrán me olvidarán Sigue la misma historia El día a día Sangre que corre Muertos por SIDA Guerra mundial se clona His mother asks what happened. He went to see his girlfriend after ten o´clock. “I woke up when I heard shots. My son didn´t come home last night.” Mother don´t ask I know what happened There won´t be any witnesses They´ll forget me The same history continues Day to day, Blood runs Killed by AIDS War gets cloned all over the world Orishas, “Desaparecidos”

3. Diecisiete primaverasIba a la universidadNo se buscaba nuncaUn problema que alguienDiga donde está Me hacías falta y túNo estabas DiosRezos fueron poco gritosLocos planes sueños rotosA plomo y sangre olían otrosFamilia como nosotros Coro:Salió a la esquina¿Quién lo vio?Mi amigo desaparecióNo dejó ni la sombraEl culpable sabe de queHablo yo Seventeen years old He went to college He never looked for trouble Someone tell me where he is. I needed you and you weren´t there, God, Prayers did little, yelling like crazy, plans and dreams broken, lead and blood, family like us Chorus: He just went down to the corner Who saw him? My friend disappearedHe didn´t even leave a shadow The guilty ones know what I´m talking about Orishas, “Desparecidos”

4. Anoche escuche variasExplosionesPutum patam putúm petéY eso es muy normal bebeLa conciencia de hoy en día esta al revés La gente no sabe dondeCoño mete el pieY además para los criminalesUna cena de buen provechoY aunque salgan por el techoCon las palabrasQue he dicho del dicho al hechoHay un buen trecho y prosigoCoro   Last night I heard various explosions putún patá putún peté And that´s very normal baby Today´s conscience is turned upside down People don´t know where the %$%& they´re sticking their foot And for the criminals, it´s open season Even if they go crazy with what I´m saying, between saying something and doing it there´s a big difference, I´ll keep going… Orishas, “Desparecidos”

5. En nombre de mi amigo muertoQue ya saben como fueronLo detuvieron, arrestaronSecuestraronLas ropas le quitaron fusilaronLas pruebas quemaronLo mismo le ocurrióA mi vecino de diez anosQue sus organos no encontraronOye, que fatiga los quemaron,E torturaronCoro In the name of my dead friend, You know how it went, they detained him, arrested him, kidnapped him, Took off his clothes, shot him, Burned the evidence, The same thing happened to my ten year old neighbor, They never found his organs, Oh, how awful, they burned them, tortured them Chorus Orishas, “Desparecidos”

6. Otro mas de los caidosOtra espina otro dolorOtro madre sin un hijoArbol que fruto no dioDiecisiete primaverasIba a la universidadNo se buscaba nuncaUn problema que alguienDiga donde estáA los presidentes asesinosA los responsablesDe desaparecidosPa' los que trafican con ninosEl culpable sabe de que hablo yo Another one of the fallen Another thorn, another pain Another mother without her child A tree that bears no fruit Seventeen years old He went to college He never looked for trouble Someone tell me where he is. To the presidents, murderers, To those responsible for the disappeared, To those who traffic in children, Those who are guilty know what I´m talking about Orishas, “Desaparecidos”

7. Yo yo yo seQue a mi cañón de palabrasLe faltaron canallasPara derribar en esta batallaPero la historia se encargaraDe cortar sus garrasHijos de asesinosDesaparecidos,Ya ves lo que he vividoSin rastro para poner floresEn mi tumbaA mi madre le han dejadoQuien pagado me mata no sabeQue arrebata un almaIndependencia I know that my cannon of words lacks cowards to knock down in this battle But history will take charge of cutting their claws Children of murderers Disappeared, Now you see what I´ve lived, They´ve left my mother without a trace to put flowers on my grave, Who paid for my killing doesn´t know That he´s striking down a soul Independence Chorus Orishas, “Desaparecidos”

8. Transitional justice debates • What is the desired aim of transitional justice? • Example of escraches: is this justice? • Possible aims include • “My day in court”/symbolic chance to tell story from victim’s point of view • Chance to find out truth of what happened • Vengeance • Deterrence • Monetary compensation • Societal recognition that what happened was wrong • Not everyone agrees that trials are best way to achieve these aims

9. “Truth not trials” approach • “clean slate” • Focus on societal reconciliation, truth-telling rather than individual accountability • Fear of triggering authoritarian backlash • Argentina: under Alfonsin, top officers convicted, bu then 1986 amnesty, 4 military uprisings in late 1980’s-> Pres. Menem pardoned all military officers • More collaboration from perpetrators • Can allow criticism of courts themselves • More complete social process

10. Legal Accountability • Failure to prosecute past crimes undermines rule of law • Justice should not be held hostage by fear • Reconciliation cannot happen without punishment • Criminal trials also provide truth-telling, healing

11. Is there a middle ground? • Priscilla Hayner: truth vs. justice is not a trade-off • Truth commissions can fortify criminal prosecutions • South Africa TRC is best example

12. Forms of prosecution for HR crimes

13. Forms of criminal prosecution for human rights crimes • Domestic courts in country of occurrence • Limited by amnesty laws, political climate in country • International (ICC, ICTY, ICTR) • Must exhaust domestic remedies first (principle of complementarity) • ICC is not retroactive • Transnational (trials in domestic courts of a country other than country of occurrence) • UN Conventions against Torture, Genocide oblige all subscriber states to prosecute certain types of crime • Some states’ domestic laws particularly strong in this regard (e.g. Spain) • Also must exhaust domestic remedies

14. Forms of civil prosecution for human rights crimes • Domestic courts • Limited by amnesty, political climate • International • IACHR (of the OAS) can hold governments, not individuals, accountable • Transnational • 1980 Filartiga: Paraguayan doctor sued former Paraguayan police official for torture in US federal courts using Alien Tort Claims Act of 1789 (ATCA) • Romagoza 2002- ATCA and Torture Victims Protection Act (1992) • Defendant must be in USA for US courts to have jurisdiction • Actions must have violated international law • Awards monetary damages, seldom paid • No need to exhaust domestic remedies • Plaintiffs have greater control over case

15. Cutting-edge issues in human rights law: ATCA • more than 2 dozen cases filed against US corporations for involvement in human rights abuses overseas • Doe v. Unocal case: • Forced labor in construction of pipeline by Burmese military • Company said it was a “passive investor” • Plaintiffs said company delegated security to govt, was accountable for govt actions • Unocal settled out of court with Burmese villagers 2005, right before case went to jury trial (after 9 years)

16. ATCA • US Justice Dept: amicus curiae brief on Unocal case, arguing ATCA not suitable for cases outside USA • National Foreign Trade Council, an organization of corporations, warns ATCA suits could “seriously damage the world economy” • National Association of Manufacturers: “Private suits threaten to impose new liabilities on American companies arising from activity abroad by a foreign government. [This] risks allowing a further erosion of the President’s exclusive prerogatives on foreign policy and his ability to develop relationships with foreign governments in ways that he determines will best advance U.S. national interests.”

17. ATCA Fresh Del Monte case • Guatemalan union SITRABI in 1999 conflict with plantation owned and operated by Del Monte: leaders abducted, held at gunpoint for hours, forced to make radio announcements to workers, threatened with death • Unusual liability structure • Union leaders filed criminal charges in Guatemala, attackers given nominal fines • ATCA case sought to hold Del Monte liable for violations of rights to associate, organize, and bargain collectively • District courts said leaders were treated cruelly, not tortured; not egregious enough • September 23, 2007 Marco Tulio Portela killed

18. ATCA Drummond case 2007 • international mining company sued for involvement in deaths of labor leaders at mine in Colombia • Plaintiffs alleged that company provided financial and other support to paramilitaries who eliminated union • July 2007: jury ruled in Drummond’s favor

20. Greg Grandin: What are some limits to truth-telling? • Truth com.s: dual role of documenting past (writing history) and ushering in new era • Competing pressures not to side w/ one side or another • Usu. Depict dark period as aberration rather than examining it as result of politics • Temptation to serve as “watchdog” • Grounded in liberal theory of individual rights against state; this can eclipse social context • “transition to democracy” really consolidation of neoliberal democracy • We run risk of celebrating end of violence without perceiving its political effects (also, is violence over?)