Argentina Supreme Court discovers 83 boxes of Nazi archives in its basement
Listen to article
Argentina's Supreme Court has uncovered 83 boxes of Nazi propaganda and materials in its basement, more than eight decades after they were first confiscated during World War II, court officials announced on Sunday.
The boxes, originally shipped in June 1941 by the German embassy in Tokyo aboard the Japanese steamship Nan-a-Maru, were intercepted by Argentine authorities who feared the contents could compromise the country's wartime neutrality.
A random inspection of five boxes revealed Nazi propaganda, photographs, postcards, and thousands of notebooks linked to the Nazi Party.
Though confiscated by a federal judge and referred to the Supreme Court at the time, the fate of the boxes remained unknown until court staff rediscovered them while preparing for a new judicial museum.
"Upon opening one of the boxes, we identified material intended to consolidate and propagate Adolf Hitler's ideology in Argentina during the Second World War," the court said in a statement.
The materials have now been moved to a secure location and will be examined by experts from the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum.
Historians hope the cache will shed light on lesser-known aspects of the Holocaust, including Nazi international funding networks and ideological efforts in South America.
Argentina remained neutral in WWII until 1944, eventually declaring war on Germany and Japan in 1945.
From 1933 to 1954, the country welcomed over 40,000 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution, making it home to the largest Jewish population in Latin America.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
8 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Hip hop fest cancelled amid Kanye furore
The Slovakia festival due to welcome Kanye West next week has called off the event following the uproar over the US rapper's May release of a song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Before the July 20 gig was cancelled, Bratislava's Rubicon hip hop festival was set to be West's only confirmed live performance in Europe this year. Though he has won 24 Grammy Awards over the course of his career, the erratic rapper has become notorious in recent years for his increasingly antisemitic and hate-filled rants. West, who has legally changed his name to the shorthand "Ye", released the song Heil Hitler on May 8, the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. In the wake of the announcement of West's appearance at Rubicon, thousands of people signed a petition against the gig. The rapper – a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump – is "repeatedly and openly adhering to symbols and ideology connected with the darkest period of modern global history", two groups behind the petition said. In a statement on Instagram late on Wednesday, the festival's organisers said the decision to cancel the event was "due to media pressure and the withdrawal of several artists and partners". "This was not an easy decision," the organisers said, without drawing a direct line between the rapper's planned appearance and the cancellations. Contacted on Thursday by AFP, the Rubicon festival did not offer further explanations. Styling itself as the central European country's premier hip hop hang-out, the Rubicon festival was set to run from July 18 to 20. US rappers Offset and Sheck Wes were set to share top billing with West. Australia cancelled West's visa on July 2 over Heil Hitler, in which West raps about his custody battle with ex-wife Kim Kardashian before the song ends with an extract of a speech by the Nazi dictator. West's wife, Bianca Censori, is Australian.
Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Bosnia commemorates 30th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide
Marking 30 years since the Srebrenica genocide, thousands gathered in Bosnia to remember the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces. Seven more victims were laid to rest, as survivors mourn and call for recognition amid continued genocide denial by some Serb leaders. PHOTO:AFP Listen to article Thousands of people were gathering in Srebrenica on Friday to commemorate the genocide committed 30 years ago by Bosnian Serb forces, one of Europe's worst atrocities since World War II. On the eve of the commemorations, thousands of Srebrenica peace marchers who have walked more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) in memory of the victims and survivors of the massacre arrived at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center. The remains of seven victims of the massacre will be laid to rest during commemorations, marking the bloodiest episode of Bosnia's inter-ethnic war in the 1990s. The war broke out after Bosnia declared independence, a move supported by the country's Muslims and Croats, but rejected by Serbs. On July 11, 1995, after a siege of more than three months, Bosnian Serb forces captured the eastern town, which was at the time a UN-protected enclave. They killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the following days and buried them in mass graves. Around 100 women were killed in the massacre, 80 of whom remain missing. So far about 7,000 victims have been identified and buried while about 1,000 are still missing. In a bid to cover up the crime, the Bosnian Serb authorities had the remains removed to secondary mass graves, causing many of the bodies to be shredded by heavy machinery, according to experts. "For 30 years we have carried the pain in our souls," said Munira Subasic, president of the association Mothers of Srebrenica. Her husband Hilmo and 17-year-old son Nermin were killed in the massacre. "Our children were killed, innocent, in the UN protected zone. Europe and the world watched in silence as our children were killed." The seven victims buried on Friday at the memorial centre included a 19-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman. The remains of most of the victims are incomplete and in some cases consist only of one or two bones, experts said. The families have waited for years to bury their loved ones, hoping that more remains would be found. But Mevlida Omerovic decided not to wait any longer to bury her husband Hasib. He was killed at the age of 33, probably in Petkovci, around 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Srebrenica. Around a thousand people were transported there and locked up in a school before being executed. It is one of five mass execution sites of the massacre, the only atrocity of Bosnia's 1992–1995 war that was qualified as genocide by international justice institutions. "Thirty years have passed and I have nothing to wait for anymore," said Omerovic, 55. She wants to be able to visit the grave of her husband, even though only his jawbone will be in the coffin. Visiting the graves of her two sons Sajib and Sinan, killed in the massacre in their early 20s, enables Nezira Mehmedovic to feel closer to them. "I like the most to come here to my sons. I talk to them, I cry, I pray, I kiss them ... and for thirty years like that," she told AFP sitting next to her sons' graves. "My heart aches for them constantly," the 75-year-old woman said crying. "They say life goes on ... But how?" Bosnian Serb wartime political and military leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic were sentenced to life imprisonment by an international tribunal, notably for the Srebrenica genocide. But Serbia and Bosnian Serb leaders continue to deny that the massacre was a genocide. "The Serbs did not commit genocide in Srebrenica... it did not happen," Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik said this month. Last year, an international day of remembrance was established by the United Nations to mark the Srebrenica genocide, despite protests from Belgrade and Bosnian Serbs. "July 11 is a day of great sadness and pain," Ramiza Gurdic, whose husband Junuz and sons Mehrudin and Mustafa were killed in the massacre, told AFP. "But for me, every day is July 11, every night, every morning, when I get up and realise that they are not here."
Business Recorder
20 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Merz to make first official visit to London on July 17
BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to London on July 17 in his first visit there since taking office in May, Berlin said Friday. Merz will 'be received by Prime Minister Keir Starmer', government spokesman Steffen Meyer told reporters, adding that they would sign a 'friendship treaty' covering foreign and security cooperation. Germany and Britain, both allies of Ukraine, are racing to rearm in the face of a hostile Russia and amid fears that US President Donald Trump is not committed to protecting European NATO partners. The agreement will also cover measures to boost economic growth and encourage 'stronger contacts between citizens' of the two countries, Meyer said. Last October the UK and Germany agreed a 'milestone' defence pact and they have since announced several joint initiatives such as developing strike missiles. Merz's trip will follow this week's state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron, the first by an EU head of state since the UK left the bloc.
