International Studies
The Madres de Plaza de Mayo and the Organization of American States: A Meeting Point for Human Rights Organizations and International Law in Democratic Sustainability
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
International Studies
Start Date
11-4-2014 9:00 AM
End Date
11-4-2014 10:15 AM
Sponsor
Robert Oprisko (Butler University)
Description
After the fall of the authoririan regime, the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, through their spreading of awareness of the human rights violations during the "Dirty War," helped break down the military regime and reinstall a healthy democracy in Argentina, thanks to the organization's contributions to civil society, human rights laws, accountability, rule of law, and social justice. However, I argue that the Madres' success must be evaluated also by their success in condemning military personnel for their human rights crimes. The Madres received aid from the Organization of American States' Inter-American Court and Commission on Human Rights which influenced the government to enact greater rule of law by placing the accused soldiers on trial, but the majority of the punishments were monetary and did not provide adequate justice that could even be correctly enforced. Using Argentina's democratic transition and the Madres de Plaza de Mayo as a case study, I argue that human rights organizations can bring about nonviolent democratic transitions but not sustainable democratic institutions; however, in conjunction with intergovernmental organizations that have international legal jurisdiction, they can more effectively establish rule of law and accountability within the state, leading to a more sustainable democratic institution.
The Madres de Plaza de Mayo and the Organization of American States: A Meeting Point for Human Rights Organizations and International Law in Democratic Sustainability
Indianapolis, IN
After the fall of the authoririan regime, the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, through their spreading of awareness of the human rights violations during the "Dirty War," helped break down the military regime and reinstall a healthy democracy in Argentina, thanks to the organization's contributions to civil society, human rights laws, accountability, rule of law, and social justice. However, I argue that the Madres' success must be evaluated also by their success in condemning military personnel for their human rights crimes. The Madres received aid from the Organization of American States' Inter-American Court and Commission on Human Rights which influenced the government to enact greater rule of law by placing the accused soldiers on trial, but the majority of the punishments were monetary and did not provide adequate justice that could even be correctly enforced. Using Argentina's democratic transition and the Madres de Plaza de Mayo as a case study, I argue that human rights organizations can bring about nonviolent democratic transitions but not sustainable democratic institutions; however, in conjunction with intergovernmental organizations that have international legal jurisdiction, they can more effectively establish rule of law and accountability within the state, leading to a more sustainable democratic institution.