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South America and South Atlantic Islands
Uruguay |
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Last reviewed: 20 January 2009 |
Country information
POLITICS
HUMAN RIGHTS
Human rights in Uruguay have improved significantly since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985 and Uruguay currently has a good human rights record. A Peace Commission was established in 2000 to investigate the whereabouts of the people who 'disappeared' during the military dictatorship and published its findings in late April 2003. It made substantial progress on 26 of the disappearances in Uruguay during military rule, as well as five cases of Uruguayans who disappeared in Argentina and one in Bolivia. The human rights issue (with emphasis on the sensitive issue of those people who 'disappeared' during the dictatorship) is at the centre of the government's policies, and it has made progress in finding some corpses. The first corpse (a Communist militant killed in 1976) was recognised following a DNA test in early 2006. As a sign of the Government's interest in the area, a bill for the creation of a new Human Rights body called "National HR Institute" has been passed in Parliament. The government has given a new interpretation to the amnesty law of 1986, which ruled out prosecutions of security force members for disappearances that took place before 27 June 1973 (when the military seized power). Some military officers and politicians (including de-facto former President Juan María Bordaberry) are currently in custody awaiting trial in Uruguay or extradition to Argentina for having been allegedly involved in human rights violations.
The major current human rights concern is the state of inmates in Uruguayan prisons, with high overcrowding, bad sanitary conditions and abuse.