Monday, May 4, 2009

340,000 Uruguayans Call for Vote on Impunity Law: May 4, 2009


For the last year I've been reporting on a citizen's campaign in Uruguay to annul a controversial impunity law (the Ley de Caducidad) which has sheltered some military and police officials for human rights abuses committed during Uruguay's 1973-1985 dictatorship. While I'm currently out of Uruguay, a little over one week ago in Montevideo, approx. 340,000 signatures were submitted to the Uruguayan electoral court who now has 90 days to approve the signatures and set a plebiscite for late October. The signatures represent many more than the 250,000+ needed to initiate a plebiscite in Uruguay (10% of the eligible voting population is required), and it's an exciting development for Uruguay's human rights community--many of whom have fought to have the Ley de Caducidad annulled or repealed since the late 1980s. You can read my latest piece on the matter here at UpsideDownWorld.org where I contribute from time to time. And for other reports I've filed on the subject, check here, here, and here.

Photo: Marcha de Silencio, Montevideo, May 2008

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