HUMAN RIGHTS PERFORMANCE - 1978/07/18

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05495556
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 46
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: July 18, 1978

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CONFIDEN7-Nr
18 July 1978
MEMORANDUM
1-1JMAN RIGHTS PERFORMANCE
FOREWORD
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This assessment of the Human Rights performance of foreign coun-
tries over the past year and a half, requested by the DCI, is in two
parts. The first is an overview of worldwide trends, which emphasizes
the degree to which there has been change in the practices of foreign
countries since 1976. This is followed by regional sections, which
attempt to place foreign practices and indications of change into the
context both of the countries' history and political culture and of
their relations with the US.
For the purposes of this paper we have identified "human rights" as
including governmental unwillingness to condone: (1) torture; (2)
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; (3) arbitrary
arrest or imprisonment; (4) denial of fair public trial; (5) invasion of
the home. They also connote governmental respect for freedom of: (6)
thought, speech, press, religion and assembly; (7) movement within the
country, foreign travel and emigration; and (8) participation in the
political process. Finally (9) they imply a government's willingness to
tolerate international and nongovernmental investigation of alleged
violations of human rights. We have not included evaluations of economic
performances within the scope of this paper, although we recognize that
there is an economic dimension to the term human rights as it is commonly
used. Moreover, only independent foreign countries with more than
175,000 inhabitants have been evaluated.
Regarding ratings, we judge generally good those countries with
endemic problems in no more than one or two areas of human rights;
as spotty those with problems in several areas; and as poor those with
problems in all or nearly all areas.
The views expressed in this paper represent the best judgments of
ORPA analysts and have not been coordinated with other components of the
Agency. We are aware that, for many countries, assessing the state of
human rights practices, and even the direction they are taking, is both
complex and controversial. It is extremely difficult to place 100 or so
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countries into a few categories to the satisfaction of ORPA analysts,
let alone observers elsewhere. Same changes for the better that we
describe may not be thought significant by others. In any case, the
changes may not prove lasting; they may not withstand the litmus test
that the authoritarian governments which rule most countries of the
world tend to apply to improvements in human rights practices: the
extent to which these may complicate domestic security problems and even
general political problems for the governments in power.
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In Ar entina the human rights issue continues to cause strains with
the US. Senior Argentine officials view human rights abuses as an
unfortunate but inevitable consequence of intense efforts to eradicate
leftist terrorism, and under these circumstances resent efforts by
foreign critics to portray the Argentine Government as an oppressive
dictatorship. Now that the terrorist threat seems to be abating, the
government is attempting to wind down its massive security operations
and to exercise tighter controls over police and military units. It has
ordered release of many prisoners to their relatives during daylight
hours. The Interior Minister recently warned police chiefs to stop
bullying the public and to restore normal procedures and the government
has strengthened requirements for proper police identification. In an
effort to appease its critics, the government has published several
lists of those arrested and under detention and is making a more concerted
effort to locate missing persons. Nevertheless, thousands of prisoners
are still being held under state of siege provisions which deny them
benefits of trial and due process. The fact that there are still
occasional reports of disappearances, torture, and death indicates that NR
the government is either unable or unwilling to bring all elements of
the security forces under full control.
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