Former navy official Alfredo Astiz and oppressor “Tigre” Acosta were sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday night after being found guilty of kidnapping, torture and the forced disappearances of many detainees in the former Navy School of Mechanics (ESMA) during the last dictatorship.
As the sentence was read in the courtroom the crowd waiting outside celebrated and cheered, which almost caused it to be suspended.
Astiz, who acted under the false identity of Gustavo Niño, infiltrated the works of the mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in 1977 and “marked” his victims, who were later tortured at the ESMA and thrown alive into the sea.
Among them were the founder of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Azucena Villaflor and the two French nuns Leónie Duquet and Alice Domon.
Other oppressors such as Antonio Pernías, Oscar Montes and Raúl Scheller were also sentenced to life in prison.
A long line of people was seen outside the courtroom since early in the afternoon, as many of them wanted to hear the reading live.
Relatives of the accused were seen standing in line next to family members of those who had disappeared.
The Federal Courthouse 5 had called the hearing for 6 pm.
Early on Wednesday morning, three of the accused were given the chance to provide the court with their last statements before the reading.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald