On 30th anniversary of coup, a tribute to the 98 journalists missing or killed during the military dictatorship

As Argentina remembers the 24 March 1976 coup that began Latin America's worst-ever military dictatorship, Reporters Without Borders paid homage today to all the journalists who fell victim to what the military called ‘el proceso,' which continued until 1983. Those who disappeared or were murdered during the final years of the preceding Peronist government (1973-76) were included in the tribute. “Thirty to forty thousand people lost their lives in this terrible dirty war,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We salute the memory of all those - politicians, social workers, trade unionists, civil society activists and ordinary citizens - who were considered subversive by the military regime and who were said to have ‘disappeared'.” The press freedom organisation continued: “We also join in the mourning of the Argentine press, which lost 98 journalists between 1973 and 1980. Although Argentina is one of the few Latin American countries to have brought its leading torturers to justice, many military officers involved in serious human rights abuses never served any sentence thanks to amnesty laws passed by democratic governments.” Reporters Without Borders added: “Despite the repeal of these laws, justice is far from being done and probably never will be entirely. But Argentine society can count on our support so that the yesterday's ‘disappeared' are never forgotten.” The dirty war began before the military coup. It dates back to 1973, when Juan Domingo Perón began his second and final spell as president. Under his right-hand man, José López Rega, social welfare minister and founder of the Argentine Anti-communist Alliance (the Triple A), it was open season on ‘subversives,' especially leftists. Eight journalists were killed from 1973 until the 1976 coup, including Uruguayan parliamentarian Zelmar Michelini, who wrote for the La Opinión and Noticias newspapers. Isabel Perón, who succeeded her husband as president on his death on 1 July 1974, was finally ousted by Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla in the coup of 24 March 1976. Three military juntas occupied the Casa Rosada (the presidential palace) in turn until defeat in the war over the Malvinas (Falklands) in 1982 paved the way for a return to democratic rule a year later. For the most part, the press went underground during ‘el proceso.' Among the many things banned by the military were Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, the Beatles, modern mathematics and Greek philosophers. They even tried to ban the tango. Opponents of the regime ‘disappeared' - meaning they were kidnapped, tortured and then disposed of, often thrown out of a plane, while drugged but still alive, into the estuary of the River Plate. Eighty-three journalists ‘disappeared' and 15 others were murdered. They include the writer Rodolfo Walsh, who helped found the Prensa Latina news agency along with Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Masetti. Walsh disappeared on 25 March 1977. Just over two weeks ago, Argentine judge Sergio Torres requested that one of Walsh's suspected murderers, former federal police officer Juan Carlos Fotea, be returned to Argentina from Spain, where he was charged with genocide, terrorism and torture by judge Baltasar Garzón in 1998. This extradition request has not yet received an answer. Ten other people, including former naval Capt. Alfredo Astiz, are the subject of legal proceedings over their suspected role in Walsh's disappearance. Two laws absolving the military that were adopted during Raúl Alfonsin's presidency (1983-89) - the Law of ‘Punto Final' (1986) and the Law of Due Obedience (1987) - were overturned by congress in 2003 and by the supreme court in 2005. Néstor Kirchner's government now hopes to repeal the amnesties that were adopted during Carlos Menem's presidency (1989-99). Reporters Without Borders has learned that the cases of around 400 military personnel - of whom fewer than 50 are still in active service - could be reopened. List of disappeared journalists (Surname, given name, date of disappearance or murder, media) Adur, Claudio, 11 November 1976, Crisis, El Cronista Comercial, Arte Hispanoamericana Aiub, Ricardo Emir, 9 June 1977 Almeida, Alejandro Martín, 17 June 1975, Télam Alvarez de Barros, Lucina, 7 May 1976, Barrilete Amadío, María Elena, 30 March 1976, Discusión Ariza, Andrés Lucio, 22 July 1976 Ascone, Juan José María, 18 May 1977, La Opinión, Primera Plana, Competencia Asenjo, Jorge Alberto, 12 June 1976 Barros, Oscar Osvaldo, 7 May 1976, Crisis, Barrilete Bedoian, María, 12 June 1977, Dinamis Bertholet, Horacio Félix, 1 October 1976, Canal 2 Burdisso Rolotti, Alicia Raquel, 21 June 1977 Bustos, Miguel Angel Ramón, 30 May 1976, El Cronista Comercial, Panorama Capdepón, Juan José, April 1978 Carri, Roberto, 24 February 1977, La Opinión, Primera Plana, Extra Casadidio, Aldo Néstor, 7 December 1976 Ceretti, Conrado Guillermo, 27 July 1976, Panorama, Clarín, La Opinión Colmenares, Jaime, 2 January1977 Conti, Haroldo Pedro, 5 May 1976, Crisis Danquen, Daniel Alberto, 15 May 1977, Clarín Defieri, Eduardo, 1977 Delgado, Julián, 4 June 1978, Mercado and El Cronista Comercial Demarchi, Héctor Ernesto, 5 August 1976, El Cronista Comercial Denis, Carlos María, 27 March 1977 Dorigo, Pablo Hermes, 20 August 1976, Canal 9 Dorronzoro, Dardo Sebastián, 25 June 1976, Alberdi de Vedia, El Civismo de Luján, La Gaceta de Tucumán Eguren de Cooke, Alicia Graciana, 26 January 1977, Nuevo Hombre Espinosa, Guillermo José, 18 January 1976 Fernández Pondal, Rodolfo Jorge, 5 August 1977, Ultima Clave Ferraris, Claudio Arnoldo, 30 July 1977, La Opinión Fossati, Ernesto Luis, 26 November 1976, Panorama Foulkes, Jorge Horacio, 17 March 1978, LU 13, Radio Necochea, la Voz del Pueblo Gatti Acuña, Gerardo Francisco, 9 June 1976 Gleyzer, Raymundo, 27 May 1976, Panorama, Life, Parabrisas, Time, Georama, Editorial Códex, Alexoraft Gómez, Célica, 3 January 1978, Télam Gorrini, Alberto Jorge, 3 June 1978 Guagnini, Luis Rodolfo, 21 December 1977, La Opinión, Clarín, El Cronista Comercial, Interpress Service, El País, Latin American Political Report, Latin American Economic Report Guerrero, Diana Griselda, 27 July 1976, El Cronista Comercial, La Opinión, Discusión Habbegger, Norberto, August 1978, Noticias, Panorama, Primera Plana Harriague, Jorge Rodolfo, December 1977 Hernández, Mario, 11 May 1976, Militancia, El Descamisado Herrera, Mario, 24 May 1976, Confirmado Higa, Juan Carlos, 17 May 1977, Akoku Nippo Hopen, Daniel Saúl, 17 August 1976 Ikonicoff, Ignacio, 12 June 1977, La Opinión, El Mundo, Noticias, Panorama, Interpress Service Illa, Santiago José, 12 May 1976 Jaeger, Maurice, 8 July 1975, La Gaceta de Tucumán Kolliker Frers, Alfredo, 15 December 1976, La Plata Ruff, Prensa Libre Lizaso, Miguel Francisco, 14 September 1976, La Causa Peronista Lugones, Susana, 24 December 1977, La Opinión, Siete Días, Crisis Marin, Francisco Eduardo, 14 May 1977, La Nación Martínez, Mario, 23 January 1977 Martínez de Ramirez, Elsa, 30 May 1978 Martínez Suárez, José Mario, 23 December 1977, Uruguayan journalist Marucco, Heraldo Juan, 3 May 1977, Atlántida Medina de Bertholet, Susana Beatriz, 1 October 1976 Melo Cuesta, Nebio Ariel, 8 February 1976, Uruguayan journalist Molteni, Liliana, 21 June 1976 Mónaco, Luis Carlos, 11 January 1978 Motta, Toni Agatina, November 1980, US journalist, Daily News Moyano Vega, Daniel, 1976, Los Andes de Mendoza Nazar, Paulo Alberto, 23 April 1977 Oesterheld, Héctor Germán, June 1977 Pérez, Carlos Alberto, 8 May 1976, Clarín Perrier, María José, 30 October 1976 Perrota, Rafael, July 1977, El Cronista Comercial Poggio, Horacio Norberto, 23 July 1976 Raab, Enrique, 16 April 1977, La Opinión, Clarín, El Cronista Comercial, Primera Plana, Siete Días, Confirmado, Visión, Análisis Ramos, José Eduardo, 1 November 1976, Noticias de Tucumán, Canal 10 de Tucumán Sajón, Edgardo, 11 April 1977, La Opinión Santoro, Roberto Jorge, 1 June 1977, Barrilete Satragno, Juan Miguel, 26 February 1978, La Nación Seib, Víctor Eduardo, 30 July 1977, La Nación Servín, Santiago, 7 September 1976, La Voz de Solano Sinigaglia, Roberto Juan Carmelo, 11 May 1976, Nuevo Hombre Soler Guinard, Juan Marcelo, 29 April 1977, Confirmado, El Mundo Solís de Marín, María Cristina, 11 August 1978, La Nación Speratti, Horacio Rodolfo, 6 June 1976 Suárez, Eduardo, 12 August 1976, Siete Días, La Opinión, El Mundo, El Cronista Comercial, Interpress Service Villa de Suarez, Patricia, 14 August 1976, La Calle, La Opinión, Interpress Service Walker, Enrique Juan Ricardo, 17 July 1976, Gente, Semana Gráfica, Extra, Nuevo Hombre, El Descamisado Walsh, Rodolfo Jorge, 25 March 1977, La Opinión, Mayoría, Noticias, Prensa Latina Wenner, Tilo, 26 March 1976, El Actual de Escobar List of murdered journalists Barraza, Pedro Leopoldo, 13 October 1974, Radio del Pueblo de Buenos Aires Bettanín, Cristina, 2 January 1977, Ya, El Descamisado, Noticias, El Diario Bettanín, Guillermo, May 1976, Noticias Bettanín, Leonardo, 2 January 1977, Confirmado, Primera Plana, El Descamisado, Siglo XXI Cabo, Dardo, 6 January 1977, El Descamisado Colombo, José Domingo, 3 October 1973, El Norte de San Nicolás Estevao, Ana María, 20 October 1975, La Voz de Solano Fumarola, Julio César, 6 February 1974, Siete Días Gelman, Marcelo Ariel, 1976, Gente, Noticias Gutiérrez Ruiz, Héctor, 21 May 1976, Uruguayan journalist Michelini, Zelmar, March 1976, La Opinión, Noticias, Interpress Service Ortega Peña, Rodolfo, September 1973, Militancia Urondo, Francisco, 17 June 1976, Todo, Confirmado, Panorama, Noticias, La Opinión, Clarín Walsh, María Victoria, 29 September 1976, La Opinión, Primera Plana Zavala Rodríguez, Miguel Angel, December 1976, El Auténtico