Jorge Eduardo Acosta
Encyclopedia
Jorge Eduardo Acosta alias "el Tigre" ("The Tiger") was an Argentine captain of corvette
, head of the Work Group (Grupo de Tareas) 3.3.2 of the ESMA
naval school and in charge of this detention center during the Dirty War
. He was allegedly the one taking decisions concerning torture and assassinations in the ESMA center. He has been accused in particular of having ordered the murders of the French nuns Léonie Duquet
and Alice Domon
, and of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Azucena Villaflor
, Esther Ballestrino and María Ponce, as well as of the death of the Swedish-Argentine teenager Dagmar Hagelin
. In total, he is accused of approximately 80 crimes.
to assist the apartheid government as a military instructor in matters of counter-insurgency
. In 1998, it was discovered that he had a secret Swiss bank account which may have been used to keep goods stolen from the "desaparecidos".
He was amnestied under the Ley de Obediencia Debida
, then arrested again and remained in preventive detention
for his role in the case of stolen babies. After the repeal of the amnesty laws in 2003, the cases against him were re-opened. In August 2006, the Argentine justice decided to take the ESMA
case, in which Jorge Eduardo Acosta is to be judged along with Alfredo Astiz
and Adolfo Miguel Donda
He is also accused in Italy for crimes committed during the dictatorship against Italian citizens
He was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Argentinian court on October 26, 2011.
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
, head of the Work Group (Grupo de Tareas) 3.3.2 of the ESMA
ESMA
The Navy Petty-Officers School of Mechanics , commonly referred to by its abbreviation ESMA, is a facility of the Argentine Navy that was employed as an illegal detention center during the dictatorial rule of the National Reorganization Process...
naval school and in charge of this detention center during 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...
. He was allegedly the one taking decisions concerning torture and assassinations in the ESMA center. He has been accused in particular of having ordered the murders of the French nuns Léonie Duquet
Leonie Duquet
Léonie Duquet was a French nun who was killed by the military regime of Argentine President Jorge Rafael Videla during the Dirty War.-Biography:...
and Alice Domon
Alice Domon
Alice Domon, Caty, was a Roman Catholic nun from France whose forced disappearance occurred in Argentina during the military dictatorship of the "National Reorganization Process" .-Life:Alice Domon was born in Charquemont in France's Doubs region...
, and of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Azucena Villaflor
Azucena Villaflor
Azucena Villaflor was an Argentine social activist, and one of the founders of the human rights association called Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, which looked for desaparecidos .Villaflor was the daughter of a lower class family, and her mother, Emma Nitz, was only 15...
, Esther Ballestrino and María Ponce, as well as of the death of the Swedish-Argentine teenager Dagmar Hagelin
Dagmar Hagelin
Dagmar Hagelin was an Argentine-Swedish girl who disappeared during the Dirty War on January 27, 1977 and is presumed to have been arrested by security forces in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and murdered in a case of mistaken identity...
. In total, he is accused of approximately 80 crimes.
Biography
Jorge Acosta travelled in 1981 to South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to assist the apartheid government as a military instructor in matters of counter-insurgency
Counter-insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
. In 1998, it was discovered that he had a secret Swiss bank account which may have been used to keep goods stolen from the "desaparecidos".
He was amnestied under the Ley de Obediencia Debida
Ley de Obediencia Debida
Ley de Obediencia Debida was a law passed by the National Congress of Argentina after the end of the military dictatorship of the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional . Formally, this law is referred to by number Ley de Obediencia Debida (Spanish, Law of Due Obedience) was a law passed by the...
, then arrested again and remained in preventive detention
Preventive detention
Preventive detention is an imprisonment that is not imposed as the punishment for a crime, but in order to prevent a person from committing a crime, if that person is deemed likely to commit a crime....
for his role in the case of stolen babies. After the repeal of the amnesty laws in 2003, the cases against him were re-opened. In August 2006, the Argentine justice decided to take the ESMA
ESMA
The Navy Petty-Officers School of Mechanics , commonly referred to by its abbreviation ESMA, is a facility of the Argentine Navy that was employed as an illegal detention center during the dictatorial rule of the National Reorganization Process...
case, in which Jorge Eduardo Acosta is to be judged along with Alfredo Astiz
Alfredo Astiz
Alfredo Ignacio Astiz was a Commander, intelligence office and maritime commando in the Argentine Navy during the dictatorial rule of Jorge Rafael Videla in the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional...
and Adolfo Miguel Donda
He is also accused in Italy for crimes committed during the dictatorship against Italian citizens
He was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Argentinian court on October 26, 2011.