Language
Country/Area
No result found
What is the real cause of Argentina's "Dirty War"? Is the secret behind it more shocking than imagined?
Argentina's "Dirty War" (Guerra sucia) lasted from 1974 to 1983 and was an act of state terrorism unleashed by the then-military junta, or civil-military dictatorship. During this difficult period, the military and security forces, particularly the Argentine Anti-Communist Alliance (AAA), targeted political dissidents and anyone suspected of having links to socialism, leftist Peronism, or the Montoneros movement. According to statistics, between 22,000 and 30,000 people were killed or missing.
"The military government at the time could not tolerate any form of opposition, even from the most radical left."
The main targets of the campaign were communist partisans and their sympathizers, but many innocent students, trade union activists, writers, journalists and artists were also targeted. According to human rights organizations, it is believed that of the 30,000 victims, approximately 1,900 to 3,000 were Jewish. This ratio shows how brutal the military government's social and political repression is.
Background and Causes
For decades before 1976, the Argentine military had opposed the populist government of Juan Perón. The military successfully overthrew the Perón regime during the Liberation Revolution of 1955 and subsequently cracked down on Peronism. People began organizing resistance at work and in unions to protect the economic and social improvements achieved under Perón's rule. As democratic order was gradually restored, right-wing and left-wing Peronism began to split.
"While the military claims that it is waging a necessary war to maintain social order, it is actually engaging in large-scale political repression."
In the 1980s, the military dictatorship was eventually overthrown and democracy restored due to economic collapse, public discontent and the mishandling of the Falklands War. Many officers were convicted for human rights violations and genocide.
A surprising turn: from assassination to secret concentration camps
During this movement, called the "National Reorganization Process," the military and security forces set up 340 secret concentration camps, which not only detained a large number of innocent civilians but also carried out various tortures and inhumane treatments. Historians and human rights activists were shocked by the situation at the time, as many of those arrested were unable to obtain legal protection.
"The scale and means of this massacre make the government's actions more like state terrorism than a legitimate military action."
Some military personnel even admitted that the military's actions were more notorious than the crimes committed by the Nazi regime. In 1983, Adolfo Scilingo, then an officer, testified as a key witness, revealing shocking details of torture and executions.
Restoration of democracy and the beginning of trials
With the coming to power of Raúl Alfonsín in 1983, Argentina began investigating crimes committed during the "Dirty War" and established the National Commission on the Disappeared, CONADEP. Palace records reveal a host of crimes, which ultimately prompted legal action against the officers responsible. However, the military's threats put the then-elected government under tremendous pressure.
“The government has encountered numerous obstacles in its pursuit of justice, including threats by the military to reopen the prosecution.”
In 1986, the military forced through the so-called Punto Final Law, which made previous crimes no longer prosecutable. Only a few senior commanders were brought to trial, creating a vernacular irony about the legitimacy of military conduct.
The abolition of law and the ongoing pursuit of justice
Argentina reopened investigations into human rights crimes following the repeal of the law by Congress in 2003. This change foreshadows that Argentine society's desire for justice has not been destroyed by the horrors of the past, but is a constantly echoing voice demanding the full exposure of those crimes.
“This is a commitment to human rights and a guarantee for the future.”
Overall, the pain and scars left by the "dirty war" are lasting, but it is undeniable that Argentina's history has taught them how to pursue justice and truth. In the days ahead, when we look back on this history, will we be able to better understand the use and abuse of power and the price paid by the people?
