Uruguay: Military Withheld Information on Dictatorship Crimes

The "Mothers and Relatives of Detained and Disappeared People" Organization (Desaparecidos) decried the concealment of information related to the crimes committed by Uruguay's military dictatorship (1973-1985).

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Over the weekend, files were found in a military unit containing intelligence reports and orders from the Information and Defense Service (SID) and the Coordinating Body for Anti-Subversive Operations (OCOA), which were two repressive institutions before and after the 1973 military coup.

Desaparecidos Spokesman Ignacio Errandonea assured that the discovery of these archives made evident the Armed Forces' "sustained lies" over lack of information over their criminal acts. 

"We know that the military has more hidden documents. We demand that the truth comes to light, not only about all our relatives but also all the aberrations performed by the dictatorship," Errandonea said.

The meme reads, "Images of silence, Another form to say Present!"

The new materials were discovered in Artillery Group number 5 located in Montevideo. The military unit functioned as a detention and torture center for political prisoners between 1972 and 1974.

As of May 2020, the organization had reported 197 people still missing. At least 380,000 Uruguayans were forced into exile from 1973 until 1985.

On May 20, Desaparecidos will hold virtually its annual "March of Silence" to demand investigations and justice.