Argentina’s 'trial of the juntas'

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

In 1985, Argentina’s former military leaders were put on trial accused of kidnapping, torturing and murdering thousands of their own people.

The ‘trial of the juntas’ was the first major prosecution of war crimes since the Nuremberg trials following World War Two. Between 1976 and 1983, around 30 thousand people disappeared or were murdered in Argentina during the so-called Dirty War.

Military leaders claimed the victims were left wing guerrillas plotting terrorist attacks against their dictatorships, but most weren’t terrorists. They were trade unionists or protesters opposing the regime.

Luis Moreno Ocampo was an assistant prosecutor during the trial and spoke to Jane Wilkinson about the case.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo speaking at the trial, 1985 Credit: AFP/AFP via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Get closer to the action with live commentary from the world's greatest sporting events on BBC Sounds.
0:06.1	It is all over!
0:08.4	Bulls are edge, caught behind.
0:10.6	Including cricket Super League, women's Euros 2025, Wimbledon, Formula One and much more.
0:17.6	It's all right to the lights and foot to the floor.
0:20.0	Oh, what a's done it!
0:21.3	Drop shots!
0:22.9	Winner!
0:23.6	On five sports extra,
0:25.0	Sports Extra 2 and Sports Extra 3.
0:27.6	Listen, only on BBC Sounds.
0:34.1	Hello, welcome to witness history from the BBC World Service with me Jane Wilkinson.
0:40.5	And if you haven't heard us before, we're the podcast that takes you back to a moment in history,
0:46.4	bringing it to life in just nine minutes through incredible archive and the memories of one key witness.
0:53.3	So, if that sounds like your thing, make sure you
0:56.3	subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. And now I'm taking you back to 1985 to a courtroom
1:05.0	in Argentina, where the country's former leaders are facing charges of kidnap, torture and murder.
1:13.3	One of the most extraordinary trials in modern history is about to begin in Buenos Aires.
1:17.9	Three presidents face charges connected with the military's notorious dirty war against its own people.
1:25.0	With them in the dock will stand the other six members of the military junters
1:28.5	who ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1982.
1:32.0	Nearly every major human rights abuse there is will feature on the charge list.
	...

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