The Prosecutor v. Oscar Lorenzo Reinhold and others

This case summary is being revised and will be updated soon

Court	Federal Oral Tribunal of Neuquén, Argentina
Case number	412/08
Decision title	Fundamentos de la sentencia
Decision date	18 December 2009
Parties	Oscar Lorenzo Reinhold Enrique Braulio Olea Luis Alberto Farías Barrera Hilarión de la Pas Sosa Jorge Eduardo Molina Ezcurra Sergio Adolfo San Martín Julio Francisco Oviedo Mario Alberto Gomez Arenas
Other names	"La Escuelita" Case
Categories	Crimes against humanity
Keywords	crimes against humanity, illegal detention, La Escuelita, torture
Links	Judgment (in Spanish)

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Legally relevant facts

Between 1976 and 1983, four military Juntas successively ruled Argentina. What they called the “process of national reorganization” was a large criminal plan aiming at authorizing the arrest, torture, murder and forced disappearance of thousands of opponents to the regime. It is estimated that up to 30,000 persons were victims of the regime’s policy, but any estimate is uncertain taking into account that fact that numerous bodies have never been discovered.

In the context of this plan, “La Escuelita” ("the little school") was the clandestine detention centre of sub-area 52 (Alto Valle de Río Negro y Neuquén). The case deals with the illegal detention and torture of 16 persons, as well as the forced disappearance of a 17th person.

The accused were:

• Oscar Lorenzo Reinhold : Chief of intelligence within the commando of sub-region 52.
• Enrique Braulio Olea : Chief of Batalon 181 owning “La Escuelita”.
• Alberto Gomez Arenas : Chief of Intelligence Section 182, and de facto administrator of the detention centre.
• Luis Alberto Farías Barrera : Chief of Personnel within the commando.
• Hilarión de la Pas Sosa : Military doctor working in the detention centre.
• Jorge Eduardo Molina Ezcurra, Sergio Adolfo San Martín and Julio Francisco Oviedo: members of the Intelligence Section 182.

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Court's holding and analysis

The judgment was rendered on 18 December 2008. The accused were found guilty of illegal detention, torture and forced disappearance as crimes against humanity perpetrated in the application of the plan of the Argentinean Executive in 1976 and 1977. Oscar Lorenzo Reinhold, Enrique Braulio Olea and Mario Gómez Arenas were sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment. Luis Farías Barrera was sentenced to 22 years, and Hilarión Sosa, Gómez Arenas, Sergio Adolfo San Martín and Jorge Eduardo Molina Ezcurra, to 21 years. Julio Oviedo was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.