Armando Lambruschini
Encyclopedia
Armando Lambruschini was an admiral
in the Argentine Navy
.
in 1946. He was later named Captain
of the Navy, and served in that capacity aboard the cruiser ARA General Belgrano
.
Lambruschini was promoted to Head of the Navy Chiefs of Staff in 1975, and such obtained a rank second only to Admiral Emilio Massera in that branch; both men had graduated from the Naval School the same year. His prominent role in the National Reorganization Process
that took power in the March 1976 coup allowed him to oversee an ambitious modernization plan for the Navy. His 15-year-old daughter Paula was killed in August 1978, when a bomb was planted in Lambruschini's Buenos Aires home by Montoneros
guerrillas. Two neighbors also died as a result of the explosion.
Ongoing friction between the President Jorge Videla and Admiral Massera prompted the latter's September 15, 1978, replacement for Lambruschini, and he served in that capacity until September 11, 1981.
His role in the Dirty War
perpetrated during the dictatorship led to charges of numerous crimes, including murder, illegal arrests, torture, theft, and forgery. Indicted during the historic Trial of the Juntas of 1985, Lambruschini was found guilty and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment on December 9.
He was, however, among those pardoned in 1990 by President Carlos Menem
, and he was freed from prison and had his rank of Admiral reinstated. He later faced civil lawsuits, and in November 1994 was ordered to pay (with Massera), $1 million to a victim whose family had been abducted and murdered in 1976.
Italian courts
tried him for crimes in absentia in 1997, and he was accused of further cases of human rights violations in 2003. His advanced age (close to 80 years old) afforded him the benefit of house arrest
, however. Armando Lambruschini died on August 15, 2004.
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in the Argentine Navy
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
.
Life and career
He enrolled at the Argentine Naval School in 1942, and graduated as a midshipmanMidshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in 1946. He was later named Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
of the Navy, and served in that capacity aboard the cruiser ARA General Belgrano
ARA General Belgrano
The ARA General Belgrano was an Argentine Navy light cruiser in service from 1951 until 1982. Formerly the , she saw action in the Pacific theater of World War II before being sold to Argentina. After almost 31 years of service, she was sunk during the Falklands War by the Royal Navy submarine ...
.
Lambruschini was promoted to Head of the Navy Chiefs of Staff in 1975, and such obtained a rank second only to Admiral Emilio Massera in that branch; both men had graduated from the Naval School the same year. His prominent role in the National Reorganization Process
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
that took power in the March 1976 coup allowed him to oversee an ambitious modernization plan for the Navy. His 15-year-old daughter Paula was killed in August 1978, when a bomb was planted in Lambruschini's Buenos Aires home by Montoneros
Montoneros
Montoneros was an Argentine Peronist urban guerrilla group, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The name is an allusion to 19th century Argentinian history. After Juan Perón's return from 18 years of exile and the 1973 Ezeiza massacre, which marked the definitive split between left and right-wing...
guerrillas. Two neighbors also died as a result of the explosion.
Ongoing friction between the President Jorge Videla and Admiral Massera prompted the latter's September 15, 1978, replacement for Lambruschini, and he served in that capacity until September 11, 1981.
His role in the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
perpetrated during the dictatorship led to charges of numerous crimes, including murder, illegal arrests, torture, theft, and forgery. Indicted during the historic Trial of the Juntas of 1985, Lambruschini was found guilty and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment on December 9.
He was, however, among those pardoned in 1990 by President Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
, and he was freed from prison and had his rank of Admiral reinstated. He later faced civil lawsuits, and in November 1994 was ordered to pay (with Massera), $1 million to a victim whose family had been abducted and murdered in 1976.
Italian courts
Judiciary of Italy
In Italy, judges are public officials and, since they exercise one of the sovereign powers of the State, only Italian citizens are eligible for judgeship.Italy's independent judiciary enjoys special constitutional protection from the executive branch....
tried him for crimes in absentia in 1997, and he was accused of further cases of human rights violations in 2003. His advanced age (close to 80 years old) afforded him the benefit of house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
, however. Armando Lambruschini died on August 15, 2004.