Join us in London for a second launch of Jan Rocha’s book ‘CLAMOR: The search for the disappeared of the South American dictatorships’ on 14 June, at Somerset House East Wing, Ante Room Strand London WC2R 1LA.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the dictatorships in the South American countries of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil attempted to hide the atrocities they committed –enforced disappearances, torture, assassinations– from the international community. They terrorized populations into silence, censored the media, threatened and murdered journalists, and forcibly disappeared, incarcerated or killed their opponents.
But they failed. Thanks to the courageous work of survivors, journalists, human rights organisations, exiles, and family members, the atrocities were documented and denounced.
The group CLAMOR, based in Brazil, was among the first to investigate, publicize and denounce state terrorism in the Southern Cone dictatorships; including the secret cross-border Operation Condor which targeted exiles in their country of refuge. Journalist Jan Rocha was one of the founding members.
Her book ‘CLAMOR: The Search for the disappeared of the South American dictatorships’, now published in English by LAB, provides an eyewitness account of the struggle to find out what happened to the disappeared, especially the hundreds of babies and children who went missing during the years of terror.
Members of the Argentinian juntas were later condemned for the ‘systematic plan to steal babies and children’ and a parallel can be drawn with the indictment of President Putin by the ICC for the abduction of Ukrainian children. Both situations involved the use of children as political tools.
Solidarity without Borders Launch event:
Organised by
The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London
Speakers:
Jan Rocha: Journalist and author, founder member of CLAMOR (Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in the countries of the Southern Cone).
Dr Francesca Lessa: Departmental Lecturer in Latin American Studies and Development at the Oxford Department of International Development, Latin American Centre, Oxford School of Global and Area Studies. Author of “The Condor Trials & 40 years of Nunca Mas”
Tricia Feeney: Former Amnesty International Researcher and Founder of the Corporate Watchdog, Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID).
Chaired by Dr Octavio Ferraz, Professor of Law and Co-director of the Transnational Law Institute at King’s College.
This event is organised in partnership with Transnational Law Institute, Brazil Matters and the King’s Brazil Institute
