“Dirty War” general Luciano Benjamín Menéndez received his fourth life sentence on 8th July, after a Tucumán court found him guilty of crimes against humanity for the torture and murder of 22 desaparecidos while he was army chief in 1976 and 1977. Also known as “the hyena”, Menéndez is considered one of the last dictatorship’s harshest leaders and has been in prison since 2008.
The court handed down three other convictions in relation to the deaths: Roberto Heriberto “El Tuerto” (“One-Eyed”) Albornoz received a life sentence, police officer Luis De Cándido received 18 years, Carlos De Cándido received three years.
The murders all occurred in a secret detention center at the local police headquarters, from where Menéndez controlled the army in 10 provinces and Albornoz worked as head of intelligence for the Tucumán police.
The ruling said that Menéndez was chiefly responsible for ordering the illegal arrests, torture, and murder of the 22 Tucumán residents, with Albornoz serving as “co-author”.
During the trial, a witness presented the first list of desaparecidos to have come to light, the authenticity of which was admitted by Albornoz himself. The list includes the names of 293 captives, 195 of which were marked with the initials “DF” which is short for “Disposición Final”, a euphemism indicating that they had been killed.
The trial was broadcast on television in Tucumán and received considerable publicity. Security concerns necessitated the creation of a three-block fence around the court.
When the verdict was announced the court’s audience – comprised largely of the desaparecidos’ family members and human rights activists – cheered in a standing ovation.
Three others were originally accused of involvement in the 22 deaths, but one was excused for health reasons and two others died during the trial.
