Part D: Book Review: Report of the Bicameral Commission for the Investigation of Human Rights Violations in the Province of Tucumán between 1974–1983 (Informe de la Commissión Bicameral Investigadora de las Violaciones de los Derechos Humanos en la Provincia de Tucumán, 1974–1983)
| Published date | 01 June 1992 |
| DOI | 10.1177/016934419201000218 |
| Date | 01 June 1992 |
| Subject Matter | Part D: Book Review |
Book
Review
PART D: BOOK
REVIEUW'
Report of the Bicameral
Commission
for the Investigation of
Human
Rights
Violations
in the Province of
Tucuman
between 1974-1983
(Informe
de la
Commission
Bicameral Investlgadora de las
Violaciones
de los Derechos
Humanos
en la Provincia de
Tucumdn;
1974-1983)
The findings of the Bicameral Commission for the Investigation of Human
Rights Violations in the Province of Tucuman, Argentina were published in
Madrid (Spain) in August 1991, by the Institute of Political Studies for Latin
America and Africa. This is the first time that the findings of this Commission
have been published. Gross human rights violations in Argentina have
previously beenwidely documented and published. An example is the findings
of CONADEP
(Comision
Nacional sabrelaDesaparici6n de
Personas
-Natio-
nal Commission on Disappeared People), reported in the two volume document
Nunca
Mas.
lThe findings of the Bicameral Commission of Tucuman once
again confirm the overall picture with regard to gross human rights violations
in Argentina between 1974 and 1983.
Although the report of the Bicameral Commission brings to light new
information on State sponsored actors having committed gross human rights
violations in Tucuman, these findings can no longer be used to prosecute those
responsible. Law 23-492, also known as Punto
Final,
was passed by the
Argentine Congress on 24 December 1986, and prohibits the "initiation of new
prosecutions of members of the armed forces, police, or prison services accused
of crimes committed during the period of anti-subversive activity between 1976
and 1983."2 The publication of this report, nevertheless, is of special impor-
tance. It brings to lightthe atrocities which occurred in Tucuman between 1974
and 1983, which will contribute to diminish ignorance about this period in the
history of the province. Moreover,
it
is to be expected that information about
past violations will inhibit future gross human rights violations from being
committed. Furthermore, the publication of the report provides support for those
• Hilde Hey, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Utrecht.
1 The first volume of this report was published on 20 September 1984 and the second on 24
November 1984.
2 AmnestyInternational, Argentina /The Military Juntas
and
Human Rights, London: AI Index:
AMR 13/04/87, 1987, p. 93.
269
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