You Heard It on No Te Duermas
Eva Soto, Undersecretary for Human Rights in the La Matanza party, appeared on No Te Duermas and spoke with the program hosts about the Government’s stance on genocides and the recent civic-military dictatorship in the country.
Regarding the visit of deputies from La Libertad Avanza to genocides in prison, Soto responded: “Nothing surprises me anymore these days. We saw something like this coming. I’m not sure if a visit to genocides, something so explicit, was anticipated.”
“There was always something about Villarruel, whether it was an amnesty or dialogue. She was already going to visit them. She honored them during the campaign, at the Buenos Aires legislature,” she recalled.
She emphasized “the audacity of bringing young female deputies, pretending to be oblivious. Yesterday I saw a very interesting spot with young people of 20 and 18 years old, who said that despite their age, they knew who Videla and Astiz were. They also want to take us for fools.”
She also defined the Government’s stance on this issue as “grave” and “an assault on democracy,” while mentioning the usual gestures of Defense Minister Luis Petri with the armed forces and President Javier Milei.
“You Have to Explain to the Kids Using Common Crimes What They Did”
Continuing on the same line, Soto emphasized about the genocides: “I don’t think they were people with good intentions. They are people who tortured, killed, disappeared, and kidnapped babies. A common prisoner doesn’t even come close to a quarter of the crimes committed by these people.”
With this definition, the Undersecretary of Human Rights pointed out that “to make society understand, we need to relate it to common crimes. They are people who tortured.”
She then referred to the case of her father: “I know my dad was tortured twice a day. And he was tortured in a military base, Campo de Mayo. These people did that every day. And they enjoyed it.”
“So we talk about ‘crimes against humanity,’ but it should be explained to the kids through common crimes. Crimes against humanity include that they should face ordinary trials, served in regular prisons, and not be perpetuated over time, regardless of their age,” she expanded in her explanation.
“We Learned More About My Father’s Story from a Testimony in 2009”
Regarding her father’s story as a victim of torture by genocides, Soto revealed: “Until 2009, we knew that my dad had been the first weekend he disappeared at the Sheraton, which is a clandestine center here in Lomas del Mirador, where the Lomas del Mirador police station still operates.”
She added that “in 2009, a witness came forward. After so many years, there are still testimonies from people who don’t speak up. That’s why we say this story isn’t over.”
“From this survivor, we learned that dad was in Campo de Mayo. We are still not in trial because Campo de Mayo has very delayed trials, I think it’s up to number 20,” the municipal official narrated.
Based on these testimonies, Soto said they were able to discover her father’s fate: “He was probably a victim of one of the death flights. Graciela said that when she asked the soldier, he said: he will be transferred with the others. And ‘transfers’ at that time were called death flights.”
“If Human Rights Organizations Aren’t Pressuring, the Justice System Won’t Act”
Regarding the progress of the trials, she opined: “It was already very difficult to move them forward. The Justice system is very reluctant to advance, but it is their duty to do so. And they often do it because Human Rights organizations are behind them.”
“I think it’s because the Justice system also has a degree of complicity in this, and obviously has other interests. Until we have a Justice system and a court that meets the needs of a people, with this history, it will be difficult,” she stressed critically.
She highlighted again that “that’s why organizations are always behind and lawyers, like Pablo Llonto, who comes to mind, dedicate their lives to this.”
“The Removal of the San Justo Brigade Must Be Done Together with the Province”
In the final segment, Soto addressed the removal of the San Justo brigade due to its involvement in the dictatorship: “It’s done, but the issue is that it operates in the center of San Justo and must be coordinated with other institutions, like the Police.”
“There are many institutions that don’t care, and also many of the San Justo residents don’t care if the Police are removed from there. So no one puts in that extra effort,” she pointed out.
She added: “We wanted to set up a Human Rights Observatory there, to create a Space for Memory. For that, there needs to be a Ministry of Security willing to remove the Police from there. To relocate them.”
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