(20 May 1997) Spanish/Eng/Nat
The Argentinean human rights group Mothers of Plaza de Mayo filed charges against former Papal Nuncio and Vatican envoy in Argentina, Monsignor Pio Laghi on Tuesday.
They accuse him of participating directly in the illegal repression in Argentina during the military dictatorship in 1970s.
Laghi is one of the contenders to succeed Pope John Paul II.
Human rights group "Mothers of Plaza de Mayo" representatives said Tuesday in Rome they would go to the Italian courts to make their accusations against the former Papal Nuncio Pio Laghi.
Their president, Hebe de Bonafini, claimed he was an accomplice of Argentina's military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"The association Mothers of Plaza de Mayo has decided to file a criminal suit against cardinal Pio Laghi, who during the dictatorship in my country was Nuncio Apostolici. We have data and testimony, I myself was a victim of Pio Laghi because of his direct participation, because he made decisions about the fate our sons were going to face."
SUPER CAPTION: Hebe de Bonafini, President of Mothers of Plaza de Mayo
Guerrilla action and widespread social unrest led the military in 1976 to overthrow the constitutional government of Isabel Peron and wage their "dirty war" against dissidents.
More than nine thousand Argentineans disappeared during that period and are presumed dead.
Thousands suffered torture and years of imprisonment without trial.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Mothers' weekly marches to protest the disappearances and to demand information on the whereabouts of their children.
Human rights groups have charged church leaders with complicity because of their good relations with the military rulers.
They also say that church leaders refused to intercede on behalf of political prisoners.
Mothers of Plaza de Mayo's lawyer said Pio Laghi should be judged by Italian justice.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The mothers have already asked the Pope to suspend the immunity for Pio Laghi and we think if he is a honest person he will renounce his immunity and accept to be judged by Italian justice"
SUPER CAPTION: Sergio M Schoklender, Mothers of Plaza de Mayo's lawyer
Schoklender read a list of other church leaders the Mothers were going to accuse before the Italian courts.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We have a short list of the major church officials involved in this: Monsignor Antonio Plaza, Monsignor. Graselli, (various names) and of course Cardinal Pio Laghi".
SUPER CAPTION: Sergio M Schoklender, Mothers of Plaza de Mayo's lawyer
The Mothers claim that 30 thousand people disappeared during the dictatorship.
There are 450 members of the mothers organisation worldwide, many of them now in their seventies.
Their main target in recent years has been Argentinean President Carlos Menem, who pardoned many jailed members of the military junta in 1990.
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