An Argentinian court sentenced 10 of 12 former officers to life imprisonment, and one to a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity committed during the country’s military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. Apart from one case of acquittal, the Argentina Federal Court No. 1 in La Plata found the remainder of the defendants guilty of crimes committed in four clandestine detention centers of Buenos Aires, which include killing, torture, kidnapping of children and sexual violence against transgender women. A local report affirmed that the grounds for the court’s ruling will become public on July 5.
As documented by Argentina’s human rights organization, Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, officers abducted and systematically tortured approximately 30,000 individuals suspected of opposing the military government in clandestine detention centers during the Dirty War. The military regime—rooted in Catholic beliefs—viewed LGBTQ+ Argentines as subversive and inflicted sexual violence upon transgender women.
In recent times, Argentina has persistently struggled with human rights violations stemming from the former dictatorship. Following a Supreme Court ruling in 2005 that regarded amnesty laws protecting former officers as unconstitutional, courts have passed over 1,000 convictions. In 2017, 48 former Argentine officials charged with the deaths of 789 victims were sentenced for murder and torture.
Nevertheless, Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo argues that the voluminous number of victims, suspects, and cases presents a formidable challenge for prosecutors and judges in bringing the culpable to justice.
While Argentina has registered some key landmarks in the protection of LGBTQ+ rights, the recent trial is hailed as unprecedented. Prosecutor Ana Oberlín noted, “What is different about this trial is that for the first time in Argentina and in the world, crimes against humanity committed against trans women in the context of state terrorism are condemned.”