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Saturday, March 16, 2013

[chottala.com] All about Shahbag Movement: The New Sun Uplifts



 

All about Shahbag Movement: The New Sun Uplifts (Updated)

Dhaka, Priyo.com: Thousands of people gathered at a sit-in at Shahbagh in the capital for a week, opposing ICT-2 verdict of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah for war crimes.

The gathering started when the post by Bloggers and Online Activists Network (BOAN), requesting everyone to meet at Shahbag was highlighted in the facebook.

Sit-in people, that started on Tuesday (February 5, 2013) afternoon, demand capital punishment to the war criminal. Shahbagh intersection has gained the names such as "Nobo Juddho Square", "Prajanma Chattar" among people. People kept thronging in a large number there since Wednesday morning as per the declaration on the previous day to hold a rally.

The demonstrators chanted slogans all day long and chorused with several patriotic songs. People here and there sang, "Maago vabna keno,amra tomar shanti priyo shanto chele", and many other motivational songs.

A procession under the banner of Dhaka University Teachers and Students reached there at 10:30am to express solidarity with the demonstration.Mostly young generation, along with University teachers and students, journalists, cultural and political activists, mounted at the intersection.

Local people gradually participated in the movements days passed.

Earlier,International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Quader Mollah to life term imprisonment which was unexpected to many as they were certain a death sentence for his crimes against humanity during the country's Liberation War in 1971.

Mollah, also known as Mirpurer Koshai, was proved guilty of committing genocide, murder and rape during the liberation war.

The protestors threatened to continue their programme until the demand is met, terming the current verdict unacceptable.

People from different professions including cultural activistsjournalists and bloggers and severalfacebook groups joined the programme blocking the Shahbagh intersection in the city.

Day 1: 5 Feb 2013

On Tuesday, ICT-2 verdict's on the war crimes case against Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah declared life imprisonment in two cases, 15 year jail in 3 cases and one case is not proven in six specific charges for his alleged involvement in murders and mass killings during the Liberation War in 1971.

The mass uproar at Shahbag started just a few hours of the verdict when an online activists' group, Blogger and Online Activists Network (BOAN), gave a call through online social networks to wage protests against the verdict.

Read more about Day 1

Day 2: 6 Feb 2013

The protest resumed from Tuesday afternoon.The demonstrators painted streets, drew cartoons and hanged effigies of war crime suspects at Shahbagh with a vow to sustain their protest until their demand is met. Although Jamaat-e-islami called a dawn-to-dusk hartal Wednesday, the day passed leisurely with minute conflicts in the capital.

Read more about Day 2

Day 3: 7 Feb 2013

The three-day mature mass sit-in began with a grand rally at the Shahbagh intersection Thursday. the place had been renamed to Prajanma Chattar. Several effigies of Quader Mollah were also burned near the Prajanma Manch. Demonstrators called for a similar grand rally nextday (Friday).

Read more about Day 3

Day 4: 8 Feb 2013

The elated protesters from all race, religion and community on Friday demanded ban on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir. They also promised to boycott all the commercial establishments and social, cultural and other organizations, including media outlets, educational institutions and coaching centers of the Islamist party.

Convener of the Bloggers and Online Activists Network, Imran H Sarker conducted an oath at Shahbagh on Friday afternoon. Click the link below to read the oath.

Read more about Day 4

Day 5: 9 Feb 2013

Although five days passed off (more than 100 hours), the protesters were seen as prompt as before. Government takes steps to go for a correction in the ICT law 1973,21 section-2. On Saturday, more organizations and individuals expressed solidarity with the demonstrators.

Read more about Day 5

Day 6: 10 Feb 2013

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday's Parliament session appreciated the vigorous spirit of the youths. In her speech she assured that the demand of people has to be materialized, as they think the verdict is unfair.

Earlier in the noon, few players from National cricket team joined the stream of demonstration at Shabagh, which was led by Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan (MP).

Read more about Day 6

Day 7: 11 Feb 2013

The cabinet approved the proposal to amend Section 21 (2) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973, to ensure equal facilities for both the prosecution and the defence to appeal. Regarding the event ahead, the demonstrators requested everyone to dress in black for 'Pohela Falgun'.

Shahbag protesters called upon the countrymen to observe a three-minute silence from 4:00pm on Tuesday to press home their demand for death penalty for war criminals.

Read more about Day 7

Day 8: 12 Feb 2013

It has been a week since protesters gathered to Shahbag demanding capital punishment for the war criminals. Shahbag protesters have called upon the countrymen to observe a three-minute silence from 4:00pm on Tuesday to press home their demand for death penalty for war criminals.

Shahbag protesters have declared a two-day programme including staging a countrywide candlelight vigil at 7:00pm Thursday in memory of the martyrs killed by Jamaat and Shibir during and after the Liberation War.

Read more about Day 8

Day 9: 13 Feb 2013

Pohela Falgun celebrations are set to store by the protest at Shahbag. People have gathered in huge numbers to attend the Shahbag demonstration which is being held for eight days since the verdict of war criminal Abdul Quader Mollah.

Read more about Day 9

Day 10: 14 Feb 2013

The country gets illuminated in the evening by millions of candles lit throughout Bangladesh to pay homage to the martyrs of 1971. The decision was announced a day earlier. Earlier, the parliamentary standing committee recommended the passage of a bill based upon changes to the International Crimes Tribunals (ICT) law to allow to appeal against verdicts in war crimes cases.

Read more about Day 10

Day 11: 15 Feb 2013

Jamaat-Shibir clash with Police, leaves three Shibir activist dead in Cox' Bazar on Friday.
Jamaat-e-Islami called hartal for Monday, protesting the killing of its three activists in clashes with police in Cox's Bazar on Friday.

A young blogger, Ahmed Rajib Haider, was stabbed to death at Polashnagar in the city's Pallabi area on Friday night. Police said a group of 4-5 miscreants repeatedly stabbed the victim in front of their house at 56/3 Polashnagar at about 9pm as he returned from Shahbagh Square.

Read more about Day 11

Day 12: 16 Feb 2013

The Namaj-e-zanaja of Blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, aka 'Thaba Baba', was held at Shahbag projonmo chottor in the afternoon. Thousands wait to attend the Namaz-e-Janaza at the venue. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the relatives of the young blogger, Rajib Haidar, at his house in Pallabi in the capital in the afternoon, at 3:45pm.

Read more about Day 12

Day 13: 17 Feb 2013

This morning the whole nation sang the national anthem and raised the national flag wholeheartedly to support the Shahbag movement. Blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was laid to eternal rest at their family graveyard in Kapasia upazila of Gazipur after the fourth Namaz-e-janaza on Sunday.

Read more about Day 13

Day 14: 18 Feb 2013

As the morning sun illuminates the whole country, Shahbag movement begins in new rhythm. Meanwhile the protesters raise their voices against war criminals in new spirit in fulfilment of its first and foremost demand -- amendment to the International Crimes Tribunal law.

While taking part in the Shahbag demonstration today afternoon, blogger Toriqul Islam Shantosuddenly had a cardiac arrest. He was transported to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical Hospital, and there the doctors in duty declared him dead.

Read more about Day 14

Day 15: 19 Feb 2013

Large processions are meeting at Shahbag Projonmo Chottor every now and then. Relentless slogans from the central 'Gonojagoron Moncho' demanding ban on fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, avenging Rajib Haider's death and for execution of war criminals continued unabated.

Few announcements were made from Gonojagoron Moncho, including activities to be followed from 19th February till 21st February.

Read more about Day 15

Day 16: 20 Feb 2013

The demonstrators, protesting for last 16 days for the capital punishment to the war criminals, tied letters with the balloons in memory of the martyrs before releasing it at around 4:13pm, the moment the Pakistani forces surrendered on December 16 in 1971.

Read more about Day 16

Day 17: 21 Feb 2013

The non-stop protest that trembled the nation comes to an end at the seventeenth day, Thursday at Shahbag Square, after thousands participated the grand demonstration on International Mother Language Day.

Read more about Day 17

Day 18: 22 Feb 2013

Issuing an ultimatum to the government to bring war crimes charges against Jamaat-e-Islami and initiate the legal process by March 26 to ban the party, the Shahbag protesters yesterday announced a series of countrywide programmes beginning today.

Read more about Day 18

Day 19: 23 Feb 2013

Protesting against the countrywide violence, burning and tearing down of national flag and damaging Shaheed Minars in Dhaka and other districts, the Blogger and Online Activist Network began demonstrating all over the country since 7:00pm.

Read more about Day 19

Day 20: 24 Feb 2013

The Shahbag movement is witnessing its twentieth day since its starting, the demonstrators emerged at the hotspot on sunday around 07.00 AM in the morning. Today's activity took off with the national anthem. Afterwards they led a massive anti-strike procession.

Read more about Day 20

Day 21: 25 Feb 2013

The protesters demanding death penalty to all war criminals held a rally in Mirpur of the capital to press home their demand as the demonstration stepped into 21st straight day on Monday.

Read more about Day 21

Day 22: 26 Feb 2013

The Shahbag youths submitted a memorandum to the home minister demanding immediate arrest of Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman.

Read more about Day 22

Day 23: 27 Feb 2013

The shahbag protesters are holding a massive rally at Shapla chottor in the city today. There, the proresters sang the national anthem and recited the verse of Holy Quran to begin their relentless slogans for capital punishments of the war criminals.

Read more about Day 23

Day 24: 28 Feb 2013

Sayedee's verdict has been announced Today. The prosecution has proved him guilty against war crimes, and therefore admintered execution for his crime. Thousands of people on Wednesday was seen chanting slogans demanding execution to all convicted war criminals at Shapla Cahttar, Dhaka where no party other than Jamaat-e-Islami usually stages rally.

Read more about Day 24

Day 25: 1 Mar 2013

Protesters gathered at the Gono Jagoron Moncho on the twenty fifth day, starting precisions with national anthem on Friday morning at Shahbag demanding ban of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami from politics. Vibrant demonstrators chanted slogans all day, and people started to gather in mass after the Jumaah prayers as a rally will be held.

Read more about Day 25

Day 26: 2 Mar 2013

Protesters gathered at the Gono Jagoron Moncho observed the national flag day on the twenty six day, starting precisions with national anthem and hoisting national flag on saturday morning at Shahbag. Demonstrators at Shahbag plan to stage an anti-hartal rally Sunday at 10.00am, from Projonmo Chottor, Imran H Sarkar, declared.

Read more about Day 26

Day 27: 3 Mar 2013

Thousands of people of all class joined the anti-hartal rally in the morning at the Gono Jagoron Moncho on the twenty-seventh day of the Shahbag protest.

Read more about Day 27

Day 28: 4 Mar 2013

Several hundred demonstrators at Shabag started a procession in the capital on Monday to protest the second consecutive day countrywide hartal called by Jamaat-e-Islami.

Read more about Day 28

Day 29: 5 Mar 2013

Ganajagaran Mancha Rally began at Bibir Bagicha road in city's Jatrabari on Tuesday amid recitation from Holy Scriptures and rendering National Anthem.

Read more about Day 29

Day 30: 6 Mar 2013

The sit-in that started on February 5, 2013 following the verdict of the alleged war criminals Abdul Quader Mollah, steps to a month with rallies,demonstrations, processions across the country centering Projonmo Chottor, Shahbag.

Read more about Day 30

Day 31: 7 Mar 2013

The Shahbag protesters on Friday announced a weeklong fresh programme to press home their various demands. Imran H Saker, convener of Bloggers and Online Activists Network (BOAN), announced the progammes, beginning on Sunday, at the end of a prescheduled women's rally at the Ganojagaran Mancha in the city.

Read more about Day 31

Day 31: 7 Mar 2013

After the cocktail blast near the Gono Jagoron Moncho on Women's Day, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) issued a 7-point directive in a bid to ensure security of Gonojagoron Chattar in city's Shahbagh area.

Read more about Day 32

Popular Slogans

The people together chanted slogans everyday such as – "Tomar Amar Thikana,Padma,Meghna,Jamuna", "Fashi chai, Fashi Chai", "Shawdhin Banglai Razakarder Thai Nai", "Tui Rajakar", "Jamaat-e-Islam- Made in Pakistan", "Pakistaner Pretattha- Pakistan e Firey ja", "Quader Mollah -Nebo Tomar Kolla". "Fasi Hobe Banglay - Mati hobe Pakistan a".

Prajanma Chattar Bulletin

The Rise Of The New Horizone...

View more photos of Shahbagh demonstration

http://news.priyo.com/photo/politics/2013/02/07/67152.html


Related contents:

খালেদার বক্তব্যের প্রতিক্রিয়ায় গণজাগরণ মঞ্চ
'নষ্ট ছেলেরাই মুক্তিযুদ্ধের অসমাপ্ত অর্জন পুনরুদ্ধারে মাঠে নেমেছে'
প্রতি শুক্রবার শাহবাগে সমাবেশ
সকল যুদ্ধাপরাধীদের সর্বোচ্চ শাস্তি ফাসিসহ ছয় দফা দাবিতে গণজাগরণ মঞ্চ গতকাল ৪০ দিন পার করেছে।
Inline image 1
http://ittefaq.com.bd/index.php?ref=MjBfMDNfMTZfMTNfMF8wXzNfMjY2NDA=


আশুলিয়ায় গণজাগরণ মঞ্চের সমাবেশে খালেদা জিয়ার উদ্দেশে বক্তারা


তরুণদের অপমান করবেন না

গোলাম মর্তুজা ও অরূপ রায়, আশুলিয়া থেকে | তারিখ: ১৬-০৩-২০১৩


আশুলিয়ার ফ্যান্টাসি কিংডমের সামনে গতকাল গণজাগরণ মঞ্চের সমাবেশে অংশ নেওয়া বিভিন্ন শ্রেণী-পেশার

আশুলিয়ার ফ্যান্টাসি কিংডমের সামনে গতকাল গণজাগরণ মঞ্চের সমাবেশে অংশ নেওয়া বিভিন্ন শ্রেণী-পেশার হাজারো মানুষ মানবতাবিরোধী অপরাধীদের বিচার না হওয়া পর্যন্ত রাজপথে থাকার শপথ নেন

ছবি: প্রথম আলো

 


আশুলিয়ায় গণজাগরণ মঞ্চের সমাবেশ
ইত্তেফাক রিপোর্ট
শাহবাগের তরুণদের নিয়ে খালেদার 'বিষোদ্গার'

http://prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2013-03-15/news/336788


কিবরিয়া

কিবরিয়া

২০১৩.০৩.১৫ ১৯:৫৪
খালেদা জিয়া বলেছিল - আওয়ামীলীগ ক্ষমতায় গেলে , মসজিদে মসজিদে উলুধ্বনি হবে, তাহলে মেডাম আপনি হিন্দুদের মন্দিরে গিয়ে কি বেবস্তা করেছেন ।
মাঈনুল আলম, লন্ডন থেকে
http://ittefaq.com.bd/index.php?ref=MjBfMDNfMTZfMTNfMV8xXzFfMjY1NDA=

Ganajagaran Mancha rallying at DU

 

More Reading





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[chottala.com] BJP to march to Dhaka to protect minorities



BJP to march to Dhaka to protect minorities

The BJP will organise `long march to Dhaka' on Monday next to protest alleged atrocities on religious minorities in Bangladesh. The party has raised five-point demands to ensure safety and defend rights of minority groups in the neighbouring country.

BJP's Tripura state president Sunil Dasgupta informed on Saturday that hundreds of party workers and supporters would try to breach border at Akhaura in Agartala on March 18. He said central leaders of the party have approved the agitation programme.

"We know we would be prevented at the border, but we cannot remain silent given unending atrocities on minorities specially Hindus in Bangladesh", Mr. Dasgupta stated.

He gave a detail account of attacks on minority communities and their places of worship across Bangladesh. "The Hindus in Bangladesh have no security and vulnerable to assaults", he said.

The BJP raised the issue in Lok Sabha and demanded intervention of central government to protect Bangladeshi Hindus.

Minorities had counted 46 per cent in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, at time of partition in 1947 and the figure reduced to 28 per cent in 1970. Hindus now count 10 per cent.

Mr. Dasgupta lambasted major parties like Congress and CPI (M) for keeping a blind eye on the volatile situation in Bangladesh.

BJP demanded stringent action against culprits responsible for atrocities, security and safety of people from minority groups, a separate ministry to look after welfare of minorities, compensation to affected people, reconstruction and protection of religious places in Bangladesh.

 

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bjp-to-march-to-dhaka-to-protect-minorities/article4516073.ece



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[chottala.com] Jerusalem in the Quran (Bangla) by Imran Nazr Hosein



Jerusalem in the Quran (Bangla) by Imran Nazr Hosein

http://www.imranhosein.org/media/books/JerusalemBangla.pdf


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[chottala.com] Who is Pope Francis I ?



"Washington's Pope"? Who is Pope Francis I? Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Argentina's "Dirty War"

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky

bergolio

The Vatican conclave has elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis I

Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio? 

In 1973, he had been appointed "Provincial" of Argentina for the Society of Jesus.

In this capacity, Bergoglio was the highest ranking Jesuit in Argentina during the military dictatorship led by General Jorge Videla (1976-1983).

He later became bishop and archbishop of Buenos Aires. Pope John Paul II elevated him to the title of cardinal in 2001

When the military junta relinquished power in 1983, the duly elected president Raúl Alfonsín set up a Truth Commission pertaining to the crimes underlying the "Dirty War" (La Guerra Sucia).

The military junta had been supported covertly by Washington.

US. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger played a behind the scenes role in the 1976 military coup.

Kissinger's top deputy on Latin America, William Rogers, told him two days after the coup that "we've got to expect a fair amount of repression, probably a good deal of blood, in Argentina before too long." … (National Security Archive, March 23, 2006)

"Operation Condor"

Ironically, a major trial opened up in Buenos Aires on March 5, 2013 a week prior to Cardinal Bergoglio's investiture as Pontiff. The ongoing trial in Buenos Aires is: "to consider the totality of crimes carried out under Operation Condor, a coordinated campaign by various US-backed Latin American dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s to hunt down, torture and murder tens of thousands of opponents of those regimes."

For further details, see Operation Condor: Trial On Latin American Rendition And Assassination Program By Carlos Osorio and Peter Kornbluh, March 10, 2013

(Photo above: Henry Kissinger and General Jorge Videla (1970s)

The military junta led by General Jorge Videla (left) was responsible for countless assassinations, including priests and nuns who opposed military rule following the CIA sponsored March 24, 1976 coup which overthrew the government of Isabel Peron:

 "Videla was among the generals convicted of human rights crimes, including "disappearances", torture, murders and kidnappings. In 1985, Videla was sentenced to life imprisonment at the military prison of Magdalena."

Wall Street and the Neoliberal Economic Agenda

One of the key appointments of the military junta (on the instructions of Wall Street) was the Minister of Economy, Jose Alfredo Martinez de Hoz, a member of Argentina's business establishment and a close friend of David Rockefeller.

The neoliberal macro-economic policy package adopted under Martinez de Hoz was a "carbon copy" of that imposed in October 1973 in Chile by the Pinochet dictatorship under advice from the  "Chicago Boys", following the September 11, 1973 coup d'Etat and the assassination of president Salvador Allende.

Wages were immediately frozen by decree. Real purchasing power collapsed by more than 30 percent in the 3 months following the March 24, 1976 military coup. (Author's estimates, Cordoba, Argentina, July 1976). The Argentinean population was impoverished.

Under the helm of Minister of Economy Jose Alfredo Martinez de Hoz, central bank monetary policy was largely determined by Wall Street and the IMF. The currency market was manipulated. The Peso was deliberately overvalued leading to an insurmountable external debt. The entire national economy was precipitated into bankruptcy.

(See Image right: From left to right: Jose Alfredo Martinez de Hoz, David Rockefeller and General Jorge Videla)

Wall Street and the Catholic Church Hierarchy

Wall Street was firmly behind the military Junta which waged "The Dirty War" on its behalf. In turn, the Catholic Church hierarchy played a central role in sustaining the legitimacy of the military Junta.

The Order of Jesus –which represented the Conservative yet most influential faction within the Catholic Church, closely associated with Argentina's economic elites– was firmly behind the military Junta, against so-called "Leftists" in the Peronista movement.

"The Dirty War": Allegations directed Against Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio

Condemning the military dictatorship (including its human rights violations) was a taboo within the Catholic Church.  While the upper echelons of the Church were supportive of the military Junta, the grassroots of the Church was firmly opposed to the imposition of military rule.

In 2005, human rights lawyer Myriam Bregman filed a criminal suit against Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, accusing him of conspiring with the military junta in the 1976 kidnapping of two Jesuit priests.

Several years later, the survivors of the "Dirty War" openly accused Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of complicity in the kidnapping of  priests Francisco Jalics y Orlando Yorio as well six members of their parish,  (El Mundo, 8 November 2010)

(Image Left: Jorge Mario Bergoglio and General Jorge Videla)

Bergoglio, who at the time was "Provincial" for the Society of Jesus, had ordered the two "Leftist" Jesuit priests and opponents of military rule  "to leave their pastoral work" (i.e. they were fired) following divisions within the Society of Jesus regarding the role of the Catholic Church and its relations to the military Junta.

While the two priests Francisco Jalics y Orlando Yorio, kidnapped by the death squads in May 1976 were released five months later. after having been tortured, six other people associated with their parish kidnapped as part of the same operation were "disappeared" (desaparecidos). These included four teachers associated with the parish and two of their husbands.

Upon his release, Priest Orlando Yorio "accused Bergoglio of effectively handing them over [including six other people] to the death squads … Jalics refused to discuss the complaint after moving into seclusion in a German monastery." (Associated Press, March 13, 2013, emphasis added)

Among those "disappeared" by the death squads were Mónica Candelaria Mignone and María Marta Vázquez Ocampo, respectively daughter of the founder of of the CELS (Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales) Emilio Mignone and daughter of the president of Madres de Plaza de Mayo, Martha Ocampo de Vázquez. (El Periodista Online, March 2013).

María Marta Vásquez, her husband César Lugones (see picture right) and Mónica Candelaria Mignone allegedly "handed over to the death squads" by Jesuit "Provincial" Jorge Mario Bergoglio are among the thousands of "desaparecidos" (disappeared) of Argentina's "Dirty War", which was supported covertly by Washington under "Operation Condor". (See memorialmagro.com.ar)

In the course of the trial initiated in 2005:

"Bergoglio [Pope Francis I] twice invoked his right under Argentine law to refuse to appear in open court, and when he eventually did testify in 2010, his answers were evasive": "At least two cases directly involved Bergoglio. One examined the torture of two of his Jesuit priests — Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics — who were kidnapped in 1976 from the slums where they advocated liberation theology. Yorio accused Bergoglio of effectively handing them over to the death squads… by declining to tell the regime that he endorsed their work. Jalics refused to discuss it after moving into seclusion in a German monastery." (Los Angeles Times, April 1, 2005)

"Holy Communion for the Dictators" 


The accusations directed against Bergoglio regarding the two kidnapped Jesuit priests and six members of their parish are but the tip of the iceberg. While Bergoglio was an important figure in the Catholic Church,  he was certainly not alone in supporting the Military Junta.

According to lawyer Myriam Bregman:  "Bergoglio's own statements proved church officials knew from early on that the junta was torturing and killing its citizens", and yet publicly endorsed the dictators. "The dictatorship could not have operated this way without this key support," (Los Angeles Times, April 1, 2005 emphasis added)

(Image right: General Jorge Videla takes communion from priest Jorge Mario Bergoglio)

The entire Catholic hierarchy was behind the US sponsored military dictatorship.  It is worth recalling that on March 23, 1976, on the eve of the military coup:

"Videla and other plotters received the blessing of the Archbishop of Paraná, Adolfo Tortolo, who also served as vicar of the armed forces. The day of the takeover itself, the military leaders had a lengthy meeting with the leaders of the bishop's conference. As he emerged from that meeting, Archbishop Tortolo stated that although "the church has its own specific mission . . . there are circumstances in which it cannot refrain from participating even when it is a matter of problems related to the specific order of the state." He urged Argentinians to "cooperate in a positive way" with the new government." (The Humanist.org, January 2011, emphasis added)

In an interview conducted with El Sur, General Jorge Videla, who is now serving a life sentence for crimes against humanity confirmed that:

"He kept the country's Catholic hierarchy informed about his regime's policy of "disappearing" political opponents, and that Catholic leaders offered advice on how to "manage" the policy. 

Jorge Videla said he had "many conversations" with Argentina's primate, Cardinal Raúl Francisco Primatesta, about his regime's dirty war against left-wing activists. He said there were also conversations with other leading bishops from Argentina's episcopal conference as well as with the country's papal nuncio at the time, Pio Laghi.

"They advised us about the manner in which to deal with the situation," said Videla" (Tom Henningan, Former Argentinian dictator says he told Catholic Church of disappeared Irish Times, July 24, 2012, emphasis added)

It is worth noting that according to a 1976 statement by Archbishop Adolfo Tortolo, the military would always consult with a member of the Catholic hierarchy in the case of the "arrest" of a grassroots member of  the clergy. This statement was made specifically in relation to the two kidnapped Jesuit priests, whose pastoral activities were under the authority of Society of Jesus "provincial" Jorge Mario Bergoglio. (El Periodista Online, March 2013).

In endorsing the military Junta, the Catholic hierarchy was complicit in torture and mass killings, an estimated "22,000 dead and disappeared, from 1976 to  1978  … Thousands of additional victims were killed between 1978 and 1983 when the military was forced from power." (National Security Archive, March 23, 2006).

The Role of the Vatican

The Vatican under Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II played a central  in supporting the Argentinian military Junta.

Pio Laghi, the Vatican's apostolic nuncio to Argentina admitted "turning a blind eye" to the torture and massacres.

Laghi had personal ties to members of the ruling military junta including  General Jorge Videla and Admiral Emilio Eduardo Massera.

(See image left. Vatican's Nuncio Pio Laghi and General Jorge Videla)

Admiral Emilio Massera in close liaison with his US handlers, was the mastermind of "La Guerra Sucia" (The Dirty War). Under the auspices of the military regime, he established:

"an interrogation and torture centre in the Naval School of Mechanics, ESMA [close to Buenos Aires], … It was a sophisticated, multi-purpose establishment, vital in the military plan to assassinate an estimated 30,000 "enemies of the state". …  Many thousands of ESMA's inmates, including, for instance, two French nuns, were routinely tortured mercilessly before being killed or dropped from aircraft into the River Plata.

Massera, the most forceful member of the triumvirate, did his best to maintain his links with Washington. He assisted in the development of Plan Cóndor, a collaborative scheme to co-ordinate the terrorism being practised by South American military régimes. (Hugh O'Shaughnessy, Admiral Emilio Massera: Naval officer who took part in the 1976 coup in Argentina and was later jailed for his part in the junta's crimes, The Independent, November 10, 2010, emphasis added)

Reports confirm that the Vatican's representative Pio Laghi and Emilio Massera were friends.

The Catholic Church: Chile versus Argentina

It is worth noting that  in the wake of the military coup in Chile on September 11,1973, the Cardinal of Santiago de Chile, Raul Silva Henriquez openly condemned the military junta led by General Augusto Pinochet. In marked contrast to Argentina, this stance of the Catholic hierarchy in Chile was instrumental in curbing the tide of political assassinations and human rights violations directed against supporters of Salvador Allende  and opponents of the military regime.

The man behind the interfaith Comité Pro-Paz was Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez. Shortly after the coup, Silva, … stepped into the role of "upstander,"a term the author and activist Samantha Power coined to distinguish people who stand up to injustice—often at great personal risk—from "bystanders."

… Soon after the coup, Silva and other church leaders published a declaration condemning and expressing sorrow for the bloodshed. This was a fundamental turning point for many members of the Chilean clergy… The cardinal visited the National Stadium and, shocked by the scale of the government crackdown, instructed his aides to begin collecting information from the thousands flocking to the church for refuge.

Silva's actions led to an open conflict with Pinochet, who did not hesitate to threaten the church and the Comité  Pro-Paz. (Taking a Stand Against Pinochet: The Catholic Church and the Disappeared pdf)

Had the Catholic hierarchy in Argentina  and Jorge Mario Bergoglio taken a similar stance to that of Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez, thousands of lives would have been saved.

"Operation Condor" and the Catholic Church

The election of Cardinal Bergoglio by the Vatican conclave to serve as Pope Francis I will have immediate repercussions regarding the ongoing "Operation Condor" Trial in Buenos Aires.

The Church was involved in supporting the military Junta.  This is something which will emerge in the course of the trial proceedings.  No doubt, there will be attempts to obfuscate the role of the Catholic hierarchy and the newly appointed Pope Francis I,  who served as head of Argentina's Jesuit order during the military dictatorship.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio:  "Washington's Pope in the Vatican"? 

The election of Pope Francis I has broad geopolitical implications for the entire Latin American  region.

In the 1970s, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was supportive of a US sponsored military dictatorship.

The Catholic hierarchy in Argentina supported the military government. The Junta's program of torture, assassinations and 'disappearances" of thousands of political opponents was coordinated and supported by Washington under the CIA's "Operation Condor".

Wall Street's interests were sustained through Jose Alfredo Martinez de Hoz' office at the Ministry of Economy.

The Catholic Church in Latin America is politically influential. It also has a grip on public opinion. This is known and understood by the architects of US foreign policy as well as US intelligence.

In Latin America, where a number of governments are now challenging US hegemony, one would expect –given Bergoglio's track record–  that the new Pontiff Francis I as leader of the Catholic Church, will play de facto, a discrete "undercover" political role on behalf of Washington.

With Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis I  in the Vatican –who faithfully served US interests in the heyday of General Jorge Videla and Admiral Emilio Massera–  the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Latin America can once again be effectively manipulated to undermine "progressive" (Leftist) governments, not only in Argentina (in relation to the government of Cristina Kirschner) but throughout the entire region, including Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.

The instatement of  "a pro-US pope" occurred a week following the death of  president Hugo Chavez.

"Regime Change" at the Vatican

The US State Department routinely pressures members of the United Security Council with a view to influencing the vote pertaining to Security Council resolutions.

US covert operations and propaganda campaigns are routinely applied with a view to influencing national elections in different countries around the World.

Similarly, the CIA has a longstanding covert relationship with the Vatican.

Did the US government attempt to influence the outcome of the election of the new pontiff?

Firmly committed to serving US foreign policy interests in Latin America, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was Washington's preferred candidate.

Were undercover pressures discretely exerted by Washington, within the Catholic Church, directly or indirectly, on the 115 cardinals who are members of the Vatican conclave?

Author's Note

From the outset of the military regime in 1976, I was Visiting Professor at the Social Policy Institute of the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina. My major research focus at the time was to investigate the social impacts of the deadly macroeconomic reforms adopted by the military Junta. 

I was teaching at the University of Cordoba during the initial wave of assassinations which also targeted progressive grassroots members of the Catholic clergy.

The Northern industrial city of Cordoba was the center of the resistance movement. I witnessed how the Catholic hierarchy actively and routinely supported the military junta, creating an atmosphere of  intimidation and fear throughout the country. The general feeling at the time was that Argentinians had been betrayed by the upper echelons of the Catholic Church.

Three years earlier, at the time of Chile's September 11, 1973 military coup, leading to the overthrow of the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende,  I was Visiting Professor at the Institute of Economics, Catholic University of Chile, Santiago de Chile.

In the immediate wake of the coup in Chile,  I witnessed how the Cardinal of Santiago, Raul Silva Henriquez –acting on behalf of the Catholic Church– confronted the military dictatorship.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/washingtons-pope-who-is-francis-i-cardinal-jorge-mario-bergoglio-and-argentinas-dirty-war/5326675


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