Uruguayans Reject Home Prison For Genocides

On Thursday, thousands of Uruguayans took to the streets to reject a bill that seeks to grant house arrest to those who violate human rights and committed crimes against humanity during the last dictatorship (1973-1985).

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"This bill would immediately benefit some 20 state terrorists," said Nilo Patiño, a spokesperson for Mothers and Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared (MFDD), an organization that brings together those who were victims of the dirty war led by the United States. during the 1970s.

“These people committed crimes against humanity, torture, murder, and enforced disappearances. If people commit these types of crimes and are later released from prison, what message is given to society? What remains for the future? Releasing them is legalizing impunity, ”he added.

Supported by dozens of progressive organizations, MFDD called for mobilizations to reject the bill proposed by the right-wing political group Cabildo Abierto (CA), which wants to free state terrorists who are currently over 65 years old.

The tweet reads, "Supported by over 30 Uruguayan social organizations, the mothers and relatives of those who were detained and disappeared by the military dictatorship called for a massive protest against a bill that would grant home detention to torturers and human rights violators who are older than 65 years."

In Montevideo City, thousands of citizens marched from Liberty Square to Congress shouting and demanding "Truth, Memory, and Justice."

In a proclamation read during a rally in front of the Legislative Palace, social activists highlighted that the CA bill contravenes the legal framework and international commitments related to human rights contracted by the Uruguayan State.

Forced by social pressure and indignacion, the ruling coalition in Parliament decided to defer the treatment of this bill until next year.