General

Argentine dictator goes on trial

Reynaldo Bignone accused of torture, human rights abuses

The trial of Argentina’s last dictator, former general Reynaldo Bignone, started Monday in Buenos Aires. Prosecutors say Bignone was behind a wave of torture and other human rights abuses between 1976 and 1978, as he staged a military coup against the government. Bignone was eventually appointed president of Argentina by the country’s military junta in 1982 and served until 1983, during which time he granted amnesty to human rights violators and destroyed documents relating to the disappearance of political opponents. An official report estimates that 13,000 people were killed by Argentine authorities between 1976 and 1983. But some human rights organizations say the figure is much higher, around 30,000. Bignone’s trial is taking place in an indoor stadium in order to accommodate the crowds that showed up on Monday.

New York Times

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