From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: ARGENTINA: VETERAN SOLDIERS DENOUNCE BRITISH WAR ATROCITIES
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 02:09:44 GMT

/** reg.samerica: 165.0 **/
** Topic: ARGENTINA: VETERAN SOLDIERS DENOUNC **
** Written  5:50 pm  Sep  1, 1992 by jbinder in cdp:reg.samerica **
From: James Binder <jbinder>
Subject: ARGENTINA: VETERAN SOLDIERS DENOUNC

/* Written 12:12 am  Aug 25, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "ARGENTINA: VETERAN SOLDIERS DENOUNC" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Europe, western
Title: ARGENTINA: VETERAN SOLDIERS DENOUNCE BRITISH WAR ATROCITIES

buenos aires, aug 22 (ips) Veterans of the
1982 falklands/malvinas conflict have denounced the atrocities
committed by the british forces against their prisoners of war, but
officials have remained silent on the issue.

argentinian santiago mambrin is the third soldier to say he
witnessed the execution of argentinian soldiers by the british
troops.

mambrin said he saw how two british soldiers fired on an
argentinian prisoner after they had taken his gun and some of his
clothes. but the victim was able to get away, he said.

the vice-president of the centre for veteran soldiers in the
falklands/malvinas, angel gutierre in
id they had asked for an
investigation of the british war crimes in 1983. ''but nobody wanted
to listen to us,'' he said.

the third argentinian witness, rodolfo carrizo, who was also in
the battle of monte longdon, where the alleged crimes took place,
said he saw british soldiers kill a prisoner with a flare gun.

former british corporal vincent bramley had mentioned the war
atrocities in his book of memoirs, and british member of parliament
tom dalywell has asked for an investigation of the allegations.
the british state prosecutor is now investigating the allegations.

in his book, bramley cited seven shootings, but gutierrez
said the centre had testimonies of ''many more6;(:?39

''one day the archives on the falklands/malvinas conflict will be
opened and everything, even things people would never imagine, will
be proved,'' gutierrez told the argentinian daily 'clarin'.

''war crimes, like how the british hurled phosphorus bombs into
our trenches and drove bayonets into the eyes of our soldiers, have
been hidden from the public. every year we ask the argentinian
government and parliament to investigate but we never get an
answer,'' he added.

argentinian army chief gen martin balza, who also participated in
the war, said he knew nothing about bramley's accusations, althoug gwiurdid not
discount the possibility.

defence minister erman gonzalez, who had the same reaction as
balza, said if the accusations were to be confirmed by the
argentinian government, they would have to be brought to proper
international fora.

the british press attache in buenos aires, john ingamells,
admitted friday that the british state prosecutor's ongoing
investigation of the case could lead to a court trial.
(more/ips)



argentina: veteran (2)

but ret colonel carlos carrizo, who led the argentinian troops
during the battle of monte lonractoh lhere the alleged crimes took
place, said friday there were no proofs of the executions.

neither was there proof of the presence of u.s. mercenaries in
the falklands as bramley claimed, carrizo said.

the former commandant of the british naval force in the southern
atlantic conflict, admiral john woodward, said there was a lack of
information on the alleged shootings.

but he said he had heard ''complaints and accusations'' against
captain alfredo astiz who led the argentinian occupation of the
southern islands which he had to eventually hand over to the british
forces.

astiz has been accqot grlgollaborating with the former
argentinian dictatorship's illegal occupation of the islands and of
the disappearance of a swedish national and two french priests.

but argentinian president raul alfonsin's democratic government
in 1983 passed laws which justified the ''forced obedience'' of low-
ranking officials to exempt them from having to answer for deeds
attributed to the former dictatorship.
(end/ips/sp/trd/ff/sfi/cir/92)



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