I think Charles Krauthammer's March 12 opinion piece, "Prosecuting terrorists won't make world a safer place," misses a few points. His assertion that countries recently emerging from tyranny should favor "social peace" over justice, or avoid prosecuting their own war criminals rather than run the risk of creating divisive conflict by doing so, I find appalling.
The recent court decision in Argentina to overturn amnesty laws protecting that country's military leaders following what is known as "the dirty little war," which took place from 1976-83 against suspected leftist guerrillas, is a good example of a courageous act that, in Mr. Krauthammer's terms, favors justice over social peace. That's the proper direction to move, in my view.
Somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 Argentine, Spanish, Italian and French citizens were killed by the Argentine military in its war against civilians, including nuns, pregnant women and young people. Mothers were killed and their babies were given to military families that wanted but had no children. The chances that all of the accused and killed were leftist guerrillas are slim to none.
Argentina's current civilian government will empower itself and elevate civilian over military rule in Argentine society, something that still needs to be done there, by prosecuting its accused military war criminals and human rights violators rather than allowing them to escape punishment through amnesty laws that violate international law. Pursuing justice will help Argentine society overcome its anger and sense of loss and powerlessness and will discourage others from committing similar acts in the future. Denying justice in favor of social peace will leave a gaping wound in the collective Argentine psyche.
At least some Argentines have now stood up and said they should prosecute suspected war criminals, and it makes no difference how powerful the accused and their friends might be. It appears to me as though Argentines, to their great credit, are saying there can be no compromise or "toleration of the intolerable" on this issue, as Mr. Krauthammer suggests there should be.
Chuck Tripp
Taylorsville