ARGENTINA: European governments have been seeking justice on behalf of descendants of their nationals who were assassinated or "disappeared" during Argentina's last military dictatorship, but the Irish Government has not yet followed suit, writes Séamus Mirodan in Buenos Aires.
Spanish Judge Baltazar Garzon, who once tried to extradite Chilean dictator Augosto Pinochet, has so far requested the extradition of 45 former members of the 1970s Argentine military junta to his court in Madrid.
The Italian government has also requested extraditions for crimes committed against Italians in Argentina, as have the French, German, Swedish, Canadian and even the Japanese administrations.
There were numerous cases of Argentine-Irish who were kidnapped and never seen again, alongside the assassination of five members of the Palatine order in their own church. The Irish ambassador to Argentina confirmed yesterday that no extradition proceedings had been started by the Government, nor had it any intention to do so.
For the last 30 years, members of the military junta who stand accused of human rights violations have enjoyed immunity from prosecution in Argentina due to amnesty laws passed in the direct aftermath of the dictatorship.
However, the recent build-up of diplomatic pressure from Europe has prompted the government to carry out a profound review of the nation's judicial system, resulting on Thursday in a historic decision by the Argentine Senate to overturn these laws.
This will pave the way for human rights trials to finally take place in Argentine courts, including several prominent cases which involved Irish people.
One such case is that of Rodolfo Walsh, who was born in 1927 in the Entre Rios region of Argentina, where many of the original Irish immigrants settled. Both his parents were Irish; he grew up speaking English at home and attended a school run by Irish priests. He was a pioneering journalist, writer of a series of "Irish Tales" and a vocal political campaigner. Mr Walsh was kidnapped in 1977 by members of the military and has never been seen since.
His daughter, Patricia Walsh, is a member of the Argentine Congress and leader of the nation's United Left Party.
She told The Irish Times, "My father was very proud to be Irish and convinced that his own determination to fight political repression and sense of justice came from his Irish upbringing."
The official suspected of ordering the kidnapping is former police commissioner Hernesto Webber who is currently on Judge Garzon's list.
Ms Walsh believes that "the Irish Government is capable of reclaiming those ... who were victims of the dictatorship" and finds it difficult to understand why nothing has been done.
"It has been of fundamental importance that Baltazar Garzon and others have made a stand against genocide and immunity. I think Ireland needs to make similar requests if it is to requite the feeling of pride to be Irish which the community here feels."
One of the most abhorrent operations conducted by the Argentine military during the so-called "dirty war" was the assassination of five priests of the Palatine order in their own parish of San Patricio, at the hands of a navy task force.
Amongst them was Father Alfredo Kelly, a well-liked and compassionate man who was heavily involved in the local Catholic youth group. His brother, Clemente, is now a farmer in the rural Mercedes region of the pampas, known throughout Argentina as the terrain of the Irish gaucho.
He explained, "For many years we were powerless to do anything about my brother's murder. There was a lot of fear and several people who came looking for Clemente Kelly just disappeared."
A third brother, Dicky, says: "It will never happen. These men will never face justice in Argentina."
What both Kelly brothers want to know is why their brother and his colleagues were killed. However, they agree that "the Irish Government and the Irish church need to get involved if we are to have a clear and fair investigation."
The commanding officer in the operation was identified as navy lieutenant Antonio Pernia. Heis currently detained in Buenos Aires, awaiting extradition to Judge Garzon's dock, because one of the priests murdered in San Patricio was of Spanish descent.
Any hope of a fair trial on behalf of the remaining victims may rely on the intervention of the Government.