"Laws
that order us to forget guarantee impunity"
"Impunity
erases all histories that diverge from the official history,
which is the only one that is ordained to be remembered. As
Argentine author Litto Nebbia has said, 'if history is written
by the victors, then there must exist another history, the
true history. Hear all who care to hear.' I would add, 'and
demand justice.' Law s that order us to forget, justified
as a guarantee of stability, only guarantee impunity ... That
is why imposed oblivion does not last. What is actually imposed
is the need to fully understand what happened and the need
for collective catharsis to cleanse the wound. Otherwise,
reconciliation will be impossible.
Spanish
Judge Baltasar Garzon
Buenos
Aires, Argentina
December 6, 2001
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