Kirchner summoned the Supreme Court to annul amnesty laws shielding criminal military officers.
President Néstor Kirchner gave a condensed speech at the national military college in the official commemoration of the 1976 coup, which may have sounded offensive to the military officers present. The celebration got started with the singing of the national anthem and, shortly afterwards, the president of the Argentines unveiled a plaque which read “No more coups or state terrorism. Forever respect to the national constitution, the truth and justice”. Prior to the speech, people remained silent for about a minute in the name of the victims of this Argentine tragedy. Yesterday, people celebrated the national day of collective memory in the name of truth and justice, which was declared a national holiday for the first time last March 24. Mr. Kirchner addressed his speech to some sectors of the society, making allusion to the responsibility they are to take on for this matter and assured that the armed forces of the country are not the only ones to blame for the ’76 coup. He spoke of a criminal plan designed before March 24 for the fake sake of national security and summoned the national press, the Catholic Church and politicians to be critical when doing soul-searching and own up to their part of the blame. Some other lines below, words of praise neighbored the noun “the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo”. He also referred to the fact that he has left in the hands of the Supreme Court of Justice the annulment of the amnesty laws that benefited military officers in the last dictatorship. He said he truly hopes that these laws, which were passed by former president Carlos Menem to shield military officers from human rights prosecutions and cleared the way for hundreds to be tried for human rights crimes, are declared unconstitutional.