In Argentina, human rights groups have called on the United States to declassify thousands of documents related to Argentina’s military dictatorship as President Obama prepares to visit Argentina next week. Groups including the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo submitted a petition to the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires. They hope the documents could help identify missing family members. Gaston Chillier of the Center for Legal and Social Studies said the documents could help compensate for the U.S. role in the so-called dirty war which began 40 years ago.

Gaston Chillier: “I think that the declassification of information in different areas of the region could shed light on serious violations of human rights. In this sense, I think the United States can, in a way, compensate for the role they had at that time. Our Center for Legal and Social Studies has always highlighted the context of (U.S.) support for military dictatorships across the region, including Argentina, but during the (Jimmy) Carter administration, the Embassy was a key location which received a lot of the complaints, and Human Rights Secretary (Patricia) Derian was an important figure in pressuring the Argentine dictatorial government.”