Argentina is still coming to terms with its past A court in northern Argentina has sentenced eight former army officers to life imprisonment for killing unarmed civilians during the military rule, known as the Dirty War.
Twenty-two people, mostly members of the Montoneros left-wing rebel group, were tortured and killed on 13 December 1976 after surrendering to the army.
The group included several women who were raped.
The massacre is named after the town of Margarita Belen where it happened.
The killings are among the most prominent cases of human rights abuses during the Dirty War era in which some 30,000 civilians were kidnapped, tortured or killed.
After a trial lasting almost a year, the court in the province of Chaco passed the harshest penalty at its disposal for crimes against humanity.
Shortly after the judges read out the sentencing, friends and family of the victims began applauding outside the courthouse.
The military had for a long time insisted that the victims of the massacre were in fact armed rebels who had ambushed an army convoy.
However, during the trial the court heard how the army had rounded up unarmed guerrilla fighters and some political activists and had driven them to the outskirts of Margarita Belen where their remains were buried.
The daughter of one of those killed in the massacre, Dafne Zamudio, told Argentine media: "This draws the line under the myth held by some segments of society that their army didn't act in self-defence at all."
Another family member, Martin Diaz, said: "I feel a small sense of relief."
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-latin-america-13420668
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu