Judges Present Book on Crimes of the Argentinean Dictatorship

During an event that will take place at the "Memory Museum" in Buenos Aires on Thursday afternoon, Sergio Torres and Cecilia Brizzio will present the results of the investigation carried out on the human rights violations committed at the Navy Higher School of Mechanics (ESMA) during the last Argentine military dictatorship (1976-1983).

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From 2003 to 2019, Torres headed the Court that investigated crimes against humanity in Argentina. Accompanied by Supreme Court Judge Brizzio, he wrote a book showing details of the legal processes that allowed justice to the memory of those who were murdered and tortured at the ESMA.

The Plaza de Mayo Grandmothers President Estela de Carolotto, the Anne Frank Center Director Hector Shalom, and State Department Cultural Affairs Director Martin Granovsky will also attend their book's presentation.

"This book chronicles our effort to shed light on some of the crimes the dictatorship committed. But it also shows that it is possible to fight the consequences of such a massacre with the legal tools available," Torres said.

Al least 5,000 people were abducted, imprisoned, and tortured at ESMA, which was just one of over 700 underground detention centers in Argentina. Most of the victims remain missing.

After the death of President Juan Peron in 1974, Argentina suffered a political and economic crisis. Armed Forces officers, who rejected the succession process, overtook the government and implemented a Military Junta.

In 1985, two years after the return of democracy in the country, the Junta leaders were prosecuted for human rights violations. Even so, a lot of crimes went unpunished and the details surrounding the victims remained unknown.