RECONCILED! Argentina and the Dirty War

The transition to democracy in Argentina during the late-70’s was preempted by a civic-military dictatorship of Argentina – in a period of state terrorism under Operation Condor – conducted by the CIA. In 1976, the Argentine coup d’état overthrew Isabel Person on March 24^th. The military junta installed to replace her, led by General Jorge Rafael Vileda, was called the “National Reorganization Process,” and remained in power until December of 1983. The period up upheaval was called “The Dirty War“.

In order for the military junta to take over the political power of the republic, they implemented harsh security measures to eradicate any subversive activity or government opposition.  During this period, citizens were abducted from their homes, at work, and from public places by armed men who were actually agents of the government. An estimated 30,000 disappearances remain unsolved until this day.

In 1976, after the military regime took control of the country, an organization called “Mothers of the Plaza of Mayo” formed. The group was inspired by goals of humanity, freedom and justice, and aimed to locate the children and babies which had been abducted by the government.

Trial of the Juntas

In December of 1983, Argentinian President Raúl Alfonsín initiated the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons. This committee investigated human rights violations including the disappearances of the 30,000 citizens. Documented in the Never Again report, the concussion of the report ended up in the Trial of the Juntas, which was the first major trial held for war crimes since the Nuremberg Trials following World War 2.

The Trial of the Juntas tried the members of the defacto military that ruled Argentina during the dictatorship of the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional between 1976 and 1983. Three high ranking military officials were sentenced to a varying degree of prison terms, three acquitted, and over 600 other cases were stymied due to Law of Due Obedience.

Mothers of the Plaza of Mayo  

The Mothers of the Plaza of Mayo have since continued their mission, and earned the title of the leading human rights organization in Argentina. In 2008, the UN sent their “Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance” mission to gather information about disappeared and missing persons. The government cooperated willingly, making efforts to locate remains and carry out genetic testing to determine familial origins. Remains were returned to families in order to carry out proper burial processes. In addition, the group hoped to reunite disappeared children with their families.