Six Argentines sentenced to life for 'Dirty War' role

[sandensea]

Six former Argentine officers have been sentenced to life after being convicted of committing crimes against humanity during the early stages of country's "Dirty War" in the mid 1970s.

Judges at a federal court in the northwestern Argentine city of Tucumán jailed 10 of 17 people accused of involvement in the so-called "Operation Independence." Three others who were supposed to go on trial had died.

Operation Independence, enacted by President Isabel Perón on February 5, 1975, gave the Army and local police a blank check to quell leftist guerrilla activity in Tucumán Province. The operation, which resulted in at least 1,000 deaths (including 650 civilians) is considered by many historians as the first chapter in the country's "Dirty War."

Mrs. Perón was deposed a year later by right-wing military dictatorship, which intensified the Dirty War during its rule from 1976 to 1983. According to human rights organisations, 30,000 people were kidnapped or disappeared in that era.

Among the victims' family members in court during the sentencing were women who were pregnant when the military rule began and whose children are still unaccounted for.

Mrs. Perón, now 86, was detained at her home outside Madrid in 2007 pursuant to an international arrest warrant. Her extradition was denied in 2008 by a Madrid court however.

Meanwhile, hundreds of activists and family members demonstrated outside the court, chanting calls for prison sentences for "every genocidal person walking the streets of Argentina."

Some 2,400 former and current officers have been charged with Dirty War-related crimes since amnesty was lifted by former President Néstor Kirchner in 2003, with around 700 convicted thus far.

At: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/argentinians-sentenced-life-dirty-war-role-170916045518804.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. This is tremendous news.

It was a huge surprise to learn this info., as I had never known Isabel Perón had ordered "Operation Independence."

I'm going to need to read more about it.

Had no idea Isabel Perón is still living, either!

It's wonderful seeing there is still a large number of citizens who are NOT bowing down to the return of fascism in the country.

Loved this one:

Meanwhile, hundreds of activists and family members demonstrated outside the court, chanting calls for prison sentences for "every genocidal person walking the streets of Argentina."

Clearly there are some prominent officials who would be available!

Isabel, in earlier times:



More recently:



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hope there's a chance some courts will still be able to push ahead with procedures involving more of these murderous, sadistic monsters.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Wikipedia for "Operativo Independencia."

Last edited Mon Sep 18, 2017, 10:55 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm posting it here, haven't had the time to read it. Will examine it later this evening.

First paragraph:

Operativo Independencia

Operativo Independencia (Spanish for "Operation Independence" ) was the code-name of the Argentine military operation in the Tucumán Province, started in 1975 to crush the ERP —Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or People's Revolutionary Army—, a Guevarist guerrilla group, which tried to create a Vietnam-style war front in the Tucumán Province, in northwestern Argentina. It was the first large-scale military operation of the Dirty War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operativo_Independencia

There is a huge amount of information about this era which deserves to be studied.

Thanks for bringing it up, again.