 |
 On March 24, 1976, in a well-planned coup, the Argentine armed forces
overthrew the government of President Isabel Martinez de Peron (1931-), who was
held in "protective custody." A three-man military junta, head by
General Jorge Rafael Videla (1925-), took charge and began a ruthless campaign
against liberals, leftists, and political terrorists. Anyone suspected of
favoring these groups was subject to arbitrary arrest, and those who had
illegally profited from the former corrupt Peronist government were prosecuted.
People were kidnapped on the streets and never seen again; the prisons
overflowed with so-called political prisoners, and torture was common; there
were no trials or pretense of legal process. An estimated 11,000 Argentines
disappeared between 1976 and 1982, and the flagrant violations of human rights
caused the US government under President James E. Carter, Jr. (1924-), to stop
sending military aid to Argentina. Several prominent prisoners were freed and
allowed to leave the country, and gradually the security forces decreased their
"dirty war" activities in response to adverse worldwide public
opinion. With the return to civilian government on December 10, 1983,
Argentina's newly elected president Raul Alfonsin (1926-) announced plans to
prosecute the nine military leaders who ruled during the "dirty war,"
or reign of terror, from 1976 until the restoration of democracy in 1983. After
an eight-month-long trial in Buenos Aires in 1985, Videla and his navy
commander, Admiral Emilo Massera (1925-), were found guilty of homicide, illegal
detention, and other human rights violations and were sentenced to life
imprisonment. Three codefendants, including General Roberto Eduardo Viola
(1924-), who succeeded Videla as president, were found guilty of lesser charges
and received sentences ranging from four and a half to 17 years. The remaining
four officers were acquitted. In January 1991, Argentina's President Carlos Saul
Menem (1930-), seeking to quell discontent in the military (four army uprisings
had occurred since 1983), issued pardons to imprisoned military personnel,
including Videla, which resulted in much public protest and outrage.
|
