December 1983-Raul Alfonsin of the Radical Party was elected president. He declared the self-amnesty law was invalid. During the first two years of Alfonsin’s presidency the government established the National Commission on Disappeared People (CONADEP) to document human rights abuses committed during the military regime. 6,000 cases of disappearance and assassinations had already been documented. And CONADEP documented 3,600 new cases.²	The government, using these testimonies as evidence brought the members of the military juntas who governed between 1976-1983 to trial.²
1985-The members of the military juntas were sentenced to life imprisionment and stripped of their military rank.²	December 24, 1986-Bowing to pressure from the military and other powerful groups to downplay the trials Alfonsin proposed a law to Congress that established a maximum period of 60 days for the initiation of all new trials against military officers.²
The Final Stop law was passed under the guise of a reconciliation between Argentines, but the political affect of the law backfired and cases against the military officials quadrupled overnight. ²	April 1987-“Holy Week Uprising” rebellion led by Lieutenant Colonel Aldo Rico, sought to disrupt the court cases in process. ²
1989-Carlos Menem was elected president and he pardoned all military officers who had been convicted as well as those whose trials were underway. His pardon also included the military officers who had risen up against Alfonsin. ²	The Due Obedience law-Under fear of the military and what a rebellion would mean, Alfonsin brought the law of Due Obedience before congress.²

v Due Obedience law: Restricted trials to military officers who held commanding authority. (84 officers) during the period in which the alleged crimes had taken place and pardoned all those convicted for “obeying orders.” (more than 1,000)

http://www.yendor.com/vanished/karenhead.html

http://www.yendor.com/vanished/falklands-war.html

http://www.yendor.com/vanished/junta.html

http://www.amnestyusa.org/ailib/aireport/ar99/amr13.htm

http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/argentina.html

Prepared by Shelley Ferraraccio

1/24/01

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