A federal district judge in California ordered the School of the Americas to release the names of military leaders from Latin American countries trained at the facility in Georgia, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Critics claim the facility has since its founding trained individuals who have committed serious human rights abuses. President George W. Bush ended disclosure of the trainees in 2004 and the Obama administration continued the blackout saying disclosure would invade privacy and expose the trainees to violence. (San Francisco Chronicle, April 23, 2013, by Bob Elgelko)
SOA Watch hailed the ruling as a major victory for transparency and the fight against human rights violations in the Southern Hemisphere, “Hundreds of SOA alumni have been implicated in human rights abuses and the formation of death squads. Eleven Latin American military dictators, including Manuel Noriega of Panama, Hugo Banzer of Bolivia, General Rios Montt of Guatemala attended the school. SOA graduates led the 2002 coup in Venezuela and the 2009 coup in Honduras and continue to be involved in repression campaigns in Colombia, Honduras, and Mexico.” (SOA Watch Press Release, April 22, 2013) -db