Uruguayans To Demand Justice For Alvarez's Dictatorship Crimes

On Friday, Uruguayans take to the streets to demand justice for the human rights violations committed during Gregorio Alvarez’s dictatorship (1981-1985) on the 27th anniversary of the first march against these crimes’ impunity.

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Under the slogan “Where are the 197 people missing? The truth remains hijacked by the State," citizens will march down July 18 Avenue towards the Cagancha Square in Montevideo. Local authorities announced that they will close traffic in these streets to ease demonstrators pass.

In the Colonia department, citizens will march from Carmelo city’s revolving bridge to the Independence Square at around 19:00. Other groups will go from the Nueva Helvecia city’s monument to Jose Artigas to the monument to Nibia Sabalsagaray.

The "Silence Images" project will distribute about 22,000 pictures of citizens who disappeared during the dictatorship for demonstrators to carry them during the march. Such photos will include a QR code, by which citizens will be able to access a summary of the life of the disappeared person.

Under right-wing President Luis Lacalle’s administration, investigations into crimes committed during the Alvarez dictatorship have come close to impunity.

In 2020, Senator and former Army Commander-in-Chief Guido Manini introduced a bill to restore limitations that prevented military and police officers from being prosecuted. Recently, pro-government legislators presented another bill seeking to grant house arrest to all over-65 years-old former repressors.

“Instead of promoting measures in favor of former repressors, the Lacalle administration should speed up the prosecution of former high-rank military, who are the only ones who can tell what happened with the disappeared people,” citizen Elena Salgueiro argued.