The School of the Americas (SOA), renamed the "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation" (WHISC) is a military training facility established in Panama in 1946, ostensibly "to bring stability to Latin America." In 1984 the SOA was kicked out of Panama and was quietly resettled at Ft. Benning, GA. Here it operates at a cost to US taxpayers of millions of dollars annually. During its 60 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques, interrogation tactics, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, and military intelligence.

Frequently dubbed the "School of Assassins," graduates have terrorized, tortured, raped, "disappeared," and massacred tens of thousands of Latin Americans. Their primary targets being educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, indigenous populations, and those who advocate for the rights of the poor.

House Votes to Close the SOA
In 1999, Congress voted to cut funding to the SOA, but the effort lost by a single vote in a House-Senate Conference Committee. The following year the SOA was "closed" but immediately opened weeks later under its current name.

Nationally, hundreds of universities, editorial boards, legislative bodies, veterans, and church groups (including 300 Catholic bishops) have advocated for the closure of the school. In 1995, 13 people were arrested for peacefully marching onto the open base of Ft. Benning in an attempt to reach the School of the Americas. Today, over 10,000 people gather each November at the gates of Ft. Benning to celebrate our solidarity with our sisters and brothers throughout Latin America, to mourn those killed by SOA alumni, and to demand the closure of the SOA/WHISC.

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"Democracy" -- SOA Style:
To date, more than 200 people have collectively served over 80 years in prison (sentences ranging from two - fourteen months) for nonviolently protesting against the SOA. While impunity prevails for those responsible for raping, torturing and murdering innocent people -- students, clergy, veterans, educators, and nuns are receiving outrageous jail terms for speaking out about the violence. What message does this send to Latin America?

What Does the SOA Say?

The SOA states that the training manuals, made public by the Pentagon in 1996, contained only a few egregious passages. In addition to recommending techniques such as torture, execution, blackmail, and arresting the relatives of those being questioned, these infamous manuals are brimming with anti-democratic content throughout.

From start to finish, they advocate spying on and infiltrating youth groups, human rights organizations, and opposition political parties--even political campaigning is viewed as subversive. In addition, anyone who supports "union organizing and recruiting" or who distributes "propaganda in favor of the interests of workers" was seen as a "target to be neutralized."

> The SOA says they are a key tool for US policy in Latin America. Ironically, of the ten SOA graduates who the school boasts became heads of States, not one took power democratically.

In addition, Panama's President stated that the SOA was the "biggest base for destabilization in Latin America." -- There is absolutely nothing democratic about the military. Yet, advocates of the school state that the SOA is a vital tool for implementing democracy in Latin America. Democracy cannot be taught, nor viewed through the barrel of a gun.

> The SOA says they are needed for counter-narcotics operations. These courses are actually no different than the counter-insurgency courses taught at the SOA for decades.

In 1999, less than 5% of soldiers actually took the counter-narcotics courses, this includes only 5 from Colombia and none from Mexico. Furthermore, many SOA graduates, including Gen. Manuel Noriega, have been linked to drug trafficking. And former SOA instructor, Major Joseph Blair, states "The SOA was the best place a Latin American officer could go to launder their drug money."

> The SOA says these issues are no longer relevant; the School's curriculum has been thoroughly reviewed by subject matter experts. The Department of Defense Inspector General's reports shows that these "experts" are often the course instructors themselves. Furthermore, Rep. Moakley's 2000 ammendment saught to develop a congressional task force to research the connects between human rights abuses , and the training at the SOA. The Pentagon, and the upper chain of command, faught vigorously to defeat this measure. What are they so afraid of ... the truth?

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Unmatched Power, Unmet Principals… -- Amnesty International (2002):
"Changes to the institution and its curriculum do not absolve the US government of responsibility for identifying and prosecuting those responsible for human rights violations perpetrated by the SOA, including past and current US personnel responsible for having drafted, approved, or taught with manuals that advocate illegal tactics such as torture…"

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"The School of the Americas is a cold war dinosaur and should be closed at once."
-- Maj. Joseph Blair, former SOA Instructor

"If the SOA published a register of alumni, it would be a scary catalogue of the most notorious military assassins and human rights violators... Attempts to recast the school as an anti-narcotics center are so much hokum."
-- Chicago Tribune, editorial

"Cold War, Drug War, whatever they call it, it is still a war against the poor."
-- Rep. Maxine Waters

"An institution so clearly out of tune with American values... should be shut down without delay."
-- New York Times, editorial

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Guatemala
In 1998, Guatemalan Bishop Juan Gerardi was bludgeoned to death less than 48 hours after the inter-diocesan human rights report he presided over was made public. Thousands of survivors, witnesses, and even perpetrators came forward to disclose horrific accounts of abuse, torture, and massacre. Among the most notorious human rights violators cited in this report--including top leaders of Guatemala's death squads--were SOA graduates. In 2001, the Guatemalan government released the names of two officiers responsible for Gerardi's murder. Col. Byron Disreal Lima Estrada an SOA graduate, was one of the officers indicted.

In 1999, a UN Truth Commission on Guatemala blasted the US counterinsurgency training, such as that taught at the SOA, as having had "a significant bearing on human rights violations during the armed conflict." It also cited the Guatemalan government with "genocide" against the Mayan population. Following the release of this report, Pres. Clinton apologized for the US's support of right-wing governments in Guatemala that killed thousands of civilians during the 36 year -- CIA initiated -- war.

Chile
At least ten high ranking military officers -- who are SOA graduates -- were implicated, along with Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, for human rights abuses that included torture and murder. Thousands of Chileans were killed and disappeared at the hands of these men, yet the US simply turned a blind eye to it all.

Colombia
A 1998 US State Department Report on Human Rights in Colombia reveals that Colombia's 20th Brigade (Military Intelligence) was involved in many human rights abuses, including targeted killings of civilians. The commander at the time was SOA graduate Paucelino Latorre Gamboa. Another SOA graduate, Gen. Yanine Diaz, "was accused of establishing and expanding paramilitary death squads... as well as ordering dozens of disappearances, multiple large-scale massacres, and the killing of judges and court personnel sent to investigate previous crimes." In addition, the vast majority of those officers cited in the Human Rights Watch (2000) report "The Ties that Bind," are SOA alumni.

Mexico
Shortly after the 1994 indigenous resistance began in Chiapas, Mexico became the largest SOA client, accounting for 1/3 of all soldiers trained there in 1998. At least 18 SOA graduates, who are now top military officials, have been implicated in human rights abuses and murders in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. Amnesty International reported that the "Mexican Army committed widespread human rights violations" during their operations in Chiapas throughout 1997.

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SOA "Hall of Shame"

The School of the Americas lack of concern for human rights is dramatically illustrated by those it chooses to honor in its "Hall of Fame" or invite as speakers and guest instructors (to name a few):

Gen. Hernan Jose Guzman Rodriguez: SOA Hall of Fame: He protected and aided the Colombian paramilitary death squad "MAS," which was responsible for the deaths of at least 149 people. He commanded the soldiers who detained, tortured, gang raped, and executed Yolanda Acevado Carvajal.

Gen. Hector Gramajo: SOA Graduate and Guest Speaker: Gramajo was the architect of genocidal policies from 1980-1991 which resulted in the rape, murder, torture and displacement of hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in Guatemala. After US courts found him guilty of numerous war crimes and fined him over $45 million in reparations, Gramajo spoke at an SOA graduation ceremony, as an "honored guest."

Col. Pablo Belmar: Guest Instructor: was directly implicated in the torture and murder of UN official Carmelo Soria, whose neck was broken while being tortured by Chilean DINA personnel.

Gen. Hugo Banzer Suarez: SOA "Hall of Fame": Banzer was a brutal military dictator who achieved power by means of a violent coup. He developed the "Banzer Plan" to silence outspoken members of the church; the plan became a blueprint for repression throughout Latin America.

General Rios Montt: SOA Graduate: Author of the "scorched earth" policy in Guatemala which resulted in over 626 indigenous villages being completely eliminated. He gained power by orchestrating a bloody coup and led the country during some of it's most repressive years. He is currently being indicted on charges of "genocide" and "crimes against humanity."

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Just a "Few Bad Apples?"

While the SOA would like the public to believe that atrocities have been committed by only a "few" SOA graduates, the reality is - the vast majority of officers committing the worst human rights violations throughout Latin America have been soldiers who received their training at the SOA. Also, the SOA refuses to institute a serious mechanism to review the performance of the graduates and their adherence to human rights standards. SOA Watch has only scraped the surface - unless a review process is implemented and more reports are declassified, it will be impossible for the public to ever fully realize the scope of violence that has resulted from the training provided at the SOA. A few examples follow:

United Nations Truth Commission Report: This report on El Salvador cites over 60 Salvadoran officers as committing the worst atrocities during that country's brutal civil war. Over 2/3 of those named were alumni of the SOA. For example:

> 19 of 26 cited for the assassination of 6 Jesuit priests and 2 co-workers.
> 10 of 12 cited for the massacre of over 900 at El Mozote.
> 2 of 3 cited for the assassination of Archbishop Romero.
>3 of 5 cited for the murder of 4 U.S. church women.
> 2 of 3 cited for the murder of several union leaders.

"State Terrorism in Colombia" (See also the recent Human Rights Watch Reports): This report is a comprehensive account of Colombian military officials responsible for violations in that country. Of the 247 cited, 124 were SOA graduates. For example:

> 3 cited for Trujillo "chainsaw" massacre of 107 villagers.
> 9 cited for Segovia massacre of 43, many were children.
> 8 cited for Uraba massacre of 20 striking banana workers.

The 1998 "U.S. State Dept. Report on Human Rights in Colombia" cites SOA graduates as being responsible for carrying out an illegal raid on a human rights office in 1998, for the 1997 massacre of more than 30 civilians in Mapiripan, as well as many other atrocities.

"Nunca Mas" -- Never Again! This 1998 report (for which Bishop Gerardi was assassinated), is published by the Archdiocese of Guatemala. It chronicles the violence of 36 years of war. Numerous military officers cited in the report are School of the Americas graduates. For example:

> 2 cited for the murder of anthropologist, Myrna Mack.
> 3 cited for covering up the murder of Michael Devine.
> 3 cited as the directors of the notorious (D-2) Death Squads

-- Dick Tator (inneedofliberty@yahoo.com), November 21, 2004

Answers

How You Can Help: Call/Write Your U.S. Reps/Senators Urge them to Close the SOA/WHISC (House Bill: HR 1258!)
US House of Reps, Washington, DC 20515
US Senate, Washington, DC 20510 or
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
For a sample letter, or to find out who your Representative is click here
-- Dick Tator (inneedofliberty@yahoo.com), November 21, 2004.

The School of America is a joke. The real terrorist are the Muslims in all the worlds mosqes. Deal with it.

-- Habi Jahq (no@camelspam.com), March 02, 2005.