Operation Condor

Jorge Rafael Videla (2)

Graffiti in Buenos Aires 2011, demanding trial for junta

Bandera de los Desaparecidos - Día de la Memoria

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Lilian Celiberti 2010

Parque por la paz Villa Grimaldi

Orlando Letelier, Washingron DC, 1976 (de Marcelo Montecino)

Operation Condor was a coordinated effort among various South American dictatorships to suppress opposition and control political dissent during the 1970s and 1980s. It involved Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and later Bolivia and Peru, with the United States providing technical support and military aid to some extent. The operation was characterized by its use of illegal detention, torture, forced disappearances, and assassination of political opponents, deemed as subversives or left-wing terrorists by the participating governments.

Background

The roots of Operation Condor can be traced back to the Cold War era, where the fear of Communism spreading in Latin America prompted the United States to implement a policy of containment. This policy, part of the broader Monroe Doctrine and later the Kennedy Doctrine, aimed at preventing the influence of the Soviet Union and Cuba in the region. In this context, the military regimes in South America found common ground in their fight against perceived subversive threats.

Operation Mechanics

Operation Condor was officially established in November 1975 during a meeting in Santiago, Chile. The operation was a complex network of intelligence and security operations that allowed member countries to share information, track, capture, and kill political opponents across borders. This transnational repression was unprecedented in its scale and coordination.

The most notorious aspect of Operation Condor was the "death squads" or assassination teams that operated across borders, targeting exiled political leaders and activists. One of the most infamous cases was the assassination of former Chilean ambassador Orlando Letelier in Washington, D.C., in 1976.

Human Rights Violations

The human rights violations committed under Operation Condor are vast and deeply impactful. Thousands of people were forcibly disappeared, tortured, and killed. Families of the disappeared still seek justice and closure, with many of the victims' fates remaining unknown.

International Response and Legacy

The international community's response to Operation Condor was mixed, with some countries condemning the human rights abuses and others, notably during the Cold War, turning a blind eye due to geopolitical interests. The end of the Cold War and subsequent democratization of South American countries led to a reevaluation of Operation Condor's impact. Trials and truth commissions in countries like Argentina and Chile have sought to bring perpetrators to justice, though many argue that full accountability has yet to be achieved.

Operation Condor remains a dark chapter in Latin American history, symbolizing the extremes to which authoritarian regimes will go to maintain power and suppress dissent. It has left a lasting legacy on the region's political, social, and cultural landscape, raising important questions about sovereignty, human rights, and international law.