Originally published Saturday, January 13, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Wife's arrest a sign Perón legacy under fire
The arrest of former Argentine President Isabel Perón in Spain on Friday signaled an expansion of human-rights cases here beyond the...
Los Angeles Times
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The arrest of former Argentine President Isabel Perón in Spain on Friday signaled an expansion of human-rights cases here beyond the former military junta to the epoch of ex-strongman Juan Domingo Perón, father of Argentina's current ruling party.
The former president, 75, whose full name is Maria Estela Martinez de Perón, was arrested at her home near Madrid after a federal judge in Argentina issued a warrant for her detention. A Spanish tribunal later ordered her conditional release pending an extradition request from Argentina.
She is wanted for questioning in connection with the disappearance of a student activist in February 1976, during the final weeks of her mandate.
Isabel Perón is the widow and successor in office of her famous husband, three times elected president and still an iconic and controversial figure in his homeland. As the sitting vice president, the ex-dancer assumed the presidency when Juan Perón died in July 1974.
Argentina's only female president never enjoyed the popular acclaim of Peron's previous wife, the charismatic Eva "Evita" Perón, who is still idolized here more than half a century after her death. Economic and political turmoil marked the disastrous reign of Isabel Perón, who was toppled in a military coup in March 1976.
The strongman's many admirers largely have ignored his dark side, such as his regime's welcoming of Nazi war criminals after World War II and the right-wing death squads that sprang up during his final term. Critics call him a demagogue who stifled freedoms and crushed dissent while admiring European fascists such as Benito Mussolini of Italy.
The current Peronist administration aggressively has targeted hundreds of abusers from the junta that succeeded the presidencies of Perón and his wife. The former military leaders are despised here, and Argentines generally have applauded their prosecutions.
But Juan Perón, with his exaltation of the working classes and strong ties to labor unions, remains a beloved figure for many. His singular political movement, which embraced elements of the left and right, continues to dominate Argentine politics. Tens of thousands of devotees showed up last year when his remains, defiled long ago by grave robbers who cut off his hands, were moved to a lavish new mausoleum.
Investigators now are zeroing in on government-linked death squads that, human-rights groups say, operated with impunity during the tumultuous 1970s rule of Perón and his widow. The sanctioned killers, human-rights activists say, set the stage for the subsequent "dirty war" under military rule that cost the lives of as many as 30,000 people during a dictatorship that lasted from 1976 to 1983.
Isabel Perón is being sought in connection with decrees she approved that called on security forces to "annihilate ... subversive elements throughout the country." By then, the governing Peronists had turned violently against their former left-wing allies and forced them underground.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Obama seeks equal partnership in Asia
NYC trial for 9/11 suspects poses risks
Fort Hood gunman contacted Pakistan, lawmaker says
Immigration on White House agenda

Opening day at Crystal Mountain
Skiers crowded the slopes at Crystal Mountain for one of the resort's earliest openings.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks
- Razor found in muffin an accident, 'mortified' baker says
- Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
- Suspect's family shaken by slaying of police officer
- Mountlake Terrace woman reports razor in muffin
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
629 - Seattle man to pack a pistol into community center to protest mayor's ban
180 - Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
177 - GOP clueless as families struggle with health care
158 - ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
125 - KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
125 - Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
110 - Prosecutor weighs death penalty in police slaying
103 - Wright State game thread
97 - Person of interest in custody in connection with Greenwood arsons
93
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- Washington in race for federal education funds
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Goodwill's Glitter Sale is Nov. 14-15
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Boeing: 787 fix is complete on first plane
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks








