The National Federation of Secondary Education Teachers (Fenapes) was criminally denounced by the Minister of National Defense, Javier García, for speaking about abuses and rapes allegedly committed by Uruguayan soldiers on peacekeeping missions.
On December 24, Fenapes tweeted: “Comprehensive education so that no soldier believes he has the right to abuse and rape girls. Repudiation of the lack of measures on the part of the State and the complicity of the president. Annul the LUC so that the army does not interfere in Public Education ”. Along with the slogan, they also made a call to vote for “Yes” in the referendum against the 135 articles of the Law of Urgent Consideration.
According to sources from the ministry told the newspaper The country, the complaint presented by García assures that the union exceeded the right to freedom of expression, as established in Article 13 of the Pact of San José, Costa Rica, and as stipulated by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The letter reads that freedom of expression is “indispensable and essential”, but “its application and its daily expressions cannot be subtracted from respecting and protecting rights and freedoms.”
The ministry wants Fenapes to be prosecuted for alleged violation of articles 333 and 334 of the Penal Code, for having committed a “violent attack against the honor of these State Institutions, inciting hatred and public contempt of the Armed Forces and, in particular, of each one of his soldiers, with aberrant acts “and” alluding to insults, “said the aforementioned media.
The complaint is directly against the president and vice president of Fenapes, Alejandra Vespa and José Olivera. The sources clarified that it is nothing “personal” against these two trade unionists, but that they are denounced as representatives of the trade union group.
Garcia defends them
In an interview on the show Up People, Minister García criticized what was published by Fenapes on Twitter and remarked that Uruguay has already exceeded 50,000 soldiers who have participated in peace missions such as those in the Congo and Haiti. Then, he pointed out that “the complaint against these soldiers was in 2017” and that there are about 40 complaints filed.
“Can 0.1% of a group qualify a group? (…) In the Senate of the Republic not long ago a senator was prosecuted for the crime of corruption. Did someone say that the Senate was corrupt because of that? Why is it not for the Senate, but for the military? (…) There are prejudices. And in any case, these complaints are from many years ago, and were all lauded by previous governments, “added the chief.
Reports of abuse
Uruguayan soldiers belonging to the UN peacekeepers have been accused of committing crimes of prostitution and pedophilia in the peacekeeping missions in Haiti.
Uruguay has received 47 complaints of improper actions by Uruguayan soldiers deployed in peacekeeping missions in various countries, among which most cases of sexual abuse or exploitation stand out, as published at the time by the US newspaper Washington Post, and various local Uruguayan media replicated.
According to the 2019 investigation, more than 2,500 people were interviewed who told as protagonists or as witnesses stories of women and girls in the areas of shelters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which has been going on for more than 13 years. installed.
Military men of Brazilian nationality have also been accused.
265 gave testimonies about children sired by mission officials and military personnel: some of the abused girls were barely 11 years old and, in addition to already living in extreme poverty, they were left behind raising children sired by these rapes.
