Witness to Bishop’s Death Freed in Argentina

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

Witness to Bishop’s Death Freed in Argentina
By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO and CHARLES NEWBERY
Published: April 21, 2011

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — A missing witness to the death of a Roman Catholic bishop during Argentina’s military dictatorship was found safe early Thursday after unknown people took him hostage and warned him to back down from testifying in an inquiry into the death, the witness’s lawyer said on Thursday.

The witness, Víctor Martínez, 52, had been missing since Monday afternoon and the Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, had ordered the country’s security forces to try to find him, fearing he could be killed.

Kidnappers grabbed Mr. Martínez, a spokesman for Amnesty International in Argentina, near his home in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, then drove away in a windowless van and held him captive in a house, his lawyer, Gabriela Scopel, said.

Ms. Scopel added that he was found wandering in a sedated state in the Caballito neighborhood.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/world/americas/22argentina.html?_r=1&ref=world

[Judi Lynn]

1. Yesterday: Argentina orders intense search for missing witness to bishop’s death during dictatorship

Argentina orders intense search for missing witness to bishop’s death during dictatorship
By Associated Press, Wednesday, April 20, 8:03 PM

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s president ordered all federal forces Wednesday to search for a key witness against a former military officer in the death of a bishop who tried intervene on behalf of victims of the dictatorship.

~snip~
Alak said President Cristina Fernandez personally ordered all federal police and other security forces to be used to find Martinez.

The mystery reminded many Argentines of the still-unsolved 2006 disappearance of Jorge Julio Lopez, who hasn’t been heard from since shortly after accusing a formerly high-ranking police official of crimes against humanity.

Martinez was the sole witness to the death of Bishop Carlos Horacio Ponce de Leon, who died in a car accident in July 1977 as the two men were driving to deliver evidence of junta crimes to the Vatican’s representative in Argentina. The papers disappeared.

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