Argentina's president ordered all federal forces Wednesday to search for a key witness against a former military officer in the death of a bishop who tried intervene on behalf of victims of the dictatorship.
Victor Oscar Martinez, 52, disappeared Monday, his wife said in a formal missing person's complaint.
"The fact that we have no details of his whereabouts is highly worrisome for the national government," Justice Minister Julio Alak said.Martinez was the sole witness to the death of an Argentine bishop who was killed in 1977 while delivering evidence of the military junta's human rights violations to Vatican officials. Martinez survived the "accident" but was then tortured for additional information surrounding the bishop's other activities. The material that they were delivering disappeared after the accident.
While several Argentine Catholic priests were complicit in the military's crimes, it's important to remember that not all of them were giving last rights as unconscious prisoners were thrown out of airplanes and into the Atlantic.
Unfortunately, there is good reason to suspect foul play in Martinez's disappearance as he was threatened two years ago if he continued "bothering" with the case. Other witnesses have also disappeared or died under mysterious circumstances in recent years.
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