Reynaldo Bignone “Plan Sistemático” / Franco Rubén O. et al.

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Court	Federal Criminal Oral Tribunal No. 6 of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Case number	1351
Decision title	Verdict
Decision date	17 September 2012
Parties	Rubén Oscar Franco Reynaldo Benito Antonio Bignone Antonio Vañek Santiago Omar Riveros Jorge Eduardo Acosta
Other names	“Plan Sistemático” Case
Categories	Crimes against humanity
Keywords	crimes against humanity, torture, dictatorship, Dirty War, disappearances, Murder
Links	Fundaments of the conviction (in Spanish) Index - Fundaments of the conviction (in Spanish)

Summary

Reynaldo Bignone, born in 1928, was the de facto president of Argentina from 1982 to 1983 and the last dictator to hold power in the country. As such, he was appointed by the military junta and sought to impose amnesty laws for perpetrators of gross human rights violations before transferring power to the democratically elected Raul Alfonsin. Nevertheless, in 2005 the Argentinean Supreme Court overturned these amnesties and opened the way for prosecutions of those involved in the country’s 1976-1983 “Dirty War”. Since then, Reynaldo Bignone was charged and convicted of crimes against humanity in several trials on the basis of his involvement in the Dirty War.

In the current case, Federal Criminal Oral Tribunal No. 6 of Buenos Aires sentenced Bignone to 15 years' imprisonment for crimes against humanity for the implementation of a systematic plan to abduct and appropriate 31 children between 1976 and 1983. Other accused were sentenced to terms ranging from 5 to 50 years in prison.

Procedural history

Federal Criminal Oral Tribunal No. 6, Verdict, 5 July 2012.

Legally relevant facts

Reynaldo Bignone, born in 1928, was the de facto president of Argentina from 1982 to 1983 and the last dictator to hold power in the country. As Argentina’s last dictator, Mr Bignone was appointed by the military junta and sought to impose amnesty laws for perpetrators of gross human rights violations before transferring power to the democratically elected Raul Alfonsin. Nevertheless, the amnesties were overturned in the Julio Héctor Simón case by the Argentinean Supreme Court, opening the way for prosecutions of those involved in the country’s 1976-1983 “Dirty War.” Since then Reynaldo Bignone was charged and convicted of crimes against humanity in several trials on the basis of his involvement in the Dirty War.

This trial concerned the “plan sistemático”, the systematic plan of the Argentinean military junta to abduct the children born to detained or disappeared mothers. Several cases were filed, among them one by the grandmothers of the disappeared children, asking for criminal prosecution of among others Reynaldo Bignone for the crimes of child abduction, murder and illegal deprivation of liberty of children.

Court's holding and analysis

The Federal Criminal Oral Tribunal No. 6 of Buenos Aires sentenced Mr Bignone to 15 years of imprisonment for crimes against humanity for the implementation of a systematic plan to abduct and appropriate 31 children between 1976 and 1983. Other accused were sentenced to terms ranging from 5 to 50 years in prison.