OVIEDO APPEALS HIS CONVICTION TO THE OAS

BRASILIA, (CIN-BRAZIL) – Former Paraguayan General Lino Cesar Oviedo, how lives in Brazil, announced that he will appeal his country’s judicial decision of convicting him of being a coup-plotter and sentencing him to prison to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) of the OAS.
"It is a precautionary measure and I believe that it is plausible to obtain it during the course of the current year”, said Oviedo.
Paraguay’s Supreme Court sentenced Oviedo to 10 years in prison as it ratified a decision made by the Military Tribunal that found him guilty of attempting a coup against the then-President Juan Carlos Wasmosy, in 1996, despite being declared innocent by the Courts of Civil Law. The involvement of such Military Tribunal is unconstitutional and only applies in war cases. Needless to mention the Law principle that provides that no person shall be tried twice for the same charge.
The former General expressed that he was convicted by a Military Tribunal even though the treaty of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), to which Paraguay is signatory states that no country shall have military tribunals in times of peace. “Paraguay was in peace at that time and I was already retired when I was subjected and condemned to that absurd lawsuit”, declared Oviedo.