The Campo de Mayo case builds on the Megacausa ESMA trial of 2017, in which dozens were convicted for kidnapping, torture and forced disappearances. P

Argentine ‘death flights’ trial gets underway

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2021-09-05 13:30:07

The Campo de Mayo case builds on the Megacausa ESMA trial of 2017, in which dozens were convicted for kidnapping, torture and forced disappearances. Portraits of missing people were set up outside the court. Photo: Javier González Toledo/AFP via Getty Images

For the first time, Argentina is carrying out a trial against Army members specifically for the so-called vuelos de la muerte, where thousands of dissidents between 1976 and 1983 were drugged, forced onto military aircraft and dumped into the ocean to drown.

Why it matters: The trials show how Latin American countries are still trying to reckon with the toll of the U.S.-backed dictatorships and provide a modicum of justice over 40 years later.

Of note: Similar judicial processes have been partly facilitated by the ongoing declassification of CIA reports in which American diplomats and agents' showed awareness of the tactics.

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