Referendum on amnesty for military officials in Uruguay

Many were killed or disappeared and thousands jailed during the military regime in Uruguay of the 1970s and 80s. The military officials were granted amnesty that has gone unchallenged until now. The amnesty was ruled unconstitutional this week by the Urguayan Supreme court and on Sunday the nation will vote on repealing it in a referendum. Thousands of Uruguayans were out in the streets marching in protest of the amnesty earlier this week.

And since we have been exploring in class how Latin American artists use their art as a medium for social comentary, it is interesting to see one of Latin America's most renowned authors, Eduardo Galeano (how also happens to write in the stype of magical realism), making a statement about why the Uruguayans are suddenly ready to stand up against the legacy of the military regime. Galeano said, “We believe that our country has shown in the first years of the Frente Amplio party being in office that we are no longer that country that was paralyzed by fear.”