Buenos Aires, Argentina – Hundreds of people could be charged with torture, disappearances and babynapping during Argentina’s “Dirty War” against dissidents after the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down amnesties passed in the 1980s.
For victims, the ruling revives the possibility of justice in cases of kidnapping, torture and disappearances. For military officers, policemen and doctors with ties to the former dictatorship, it stokes fears of being brought back to court.
Officially, 12,000 people are listed as dead or missing from the 1976-83 junta crackdown on opponents, but human rights groups say the toll was closer to 30,000. The missing, known as the “disappeared,” are presumed to have been slain.
Some 3,000 officers, including about 300 still serving in the armed forces, could be called for questioning, according to human rights groups, which estimated up to 400 of them could face new charges.
In a 7-1 vote, with one abstention, the Supreme Court voided laws passed in 1986 and 1987 to forbid charges involved in disappearances, torture and other crimes during the dictatorship.
The court said the bans were contrary to today’s international norms requiring the state to protect human rights and punish abuses.
The ruling came in the case of Julio Simon, a former policeman accused of being involved in the disappearance of Jose Poblete and Gertrudis Hlaczik and of taking their daughter, Claudia Poblete, as his own. Under Argentine law, the decision can be taken as precedent in other cases.
President Nestor Kirchner called it a major step toward healing the wounds of one of the country’s most turbulent eras.
“The court’s decision has restored our faith in justice,” Kirchner said jubilantly. “This is a blast of fresh air that signifies the end of impunity.”
