Life for Argentina ex-head Videla

Jorge Videla in the courtroomThe judges ruled that Videla would serve his life sentence in a civilian prison

Former Argentine military ruler Jorge Videla has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity.

A court in the Argentine city of Cordoba found Gen Videla, 85, guilty of murdering dissidents during the country’s period of military rule between 1976 and 1983.

The general has been accused of being the main architect of what became known as Argentina’s “Dirty War”.

Up to 30,000 people were tortured and murdered under military rule.

The judges ruled that Gen Videla would have to serve his life sentence in a civilian prison.

He was already serving a life sentence for abuses committed during military rule, but had enjoyed special privileges after he was first sentenced in 1985.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *