The Federal Oral Court of Mar del Plata analyzes the cases known as “La Huerta”, where crimes committed in the “Quinta de Méndez” are investigated, in the 1st and 2nd police stations of Tandil, in the kindergarten of Paula , the former delegation of the federal police, the 1st police station, unit 7, the former provincial railway and the regiment of the city of Azul. Former members of the army, the police, and the Buenos Aires prison service are accused. Also the civilians Emilio and Julio Méndez, owners of the farmhouse used as a clandestine detention and torture center, we talked about this with the lawyer and plaintiff in cases of crimes against humanity, Guillermo Torremare.
– What is the status of the trial of the so-called Subzone 12?
– It is in the debate stage that consists of the development of the testimonial evidence that has been offered to prove the initial accusation. It will be a long stage because there are many cases under trial and precisely for this reason the number of witnesses proposed is so high. In addition, there is a hearing every 15 days, which also makes the trial take a long time.
– In this trial there are unified causes. Which are?
– The trial consists of many cases that were originally investigated by the Federal Court of Azul. These cases were dismembered into different causes for a better investigation and now almost all of them arrive unified at this stage.
– The center of the province of Buenos Aires was an area of constant practices of crimes against humanity that is now acquiring public notoriety. When does the work of the APDH begin?
– Although this mega case is now being processed, before there were others related to crimes against humanity committed in the center of the Province of Buenos Aires. Two cases have already been tried whose epicenter was the Monte Peloni Clandestine Detention Center and another that revolved mainly around the so-called La Huerta, although the facts under trial exceeded what happened in those places. The initial investigations, as I said carried out by the Federal Court of Blue, are old. APDH was the plaintiff from the beginning. In that role, he collaborated with the investigation by providing data and evidence.
-The trial is taking place in Mar del Plata: Is there a chance that it will also take place in Tandil or Azul?
– Both the Secretary of Human Rights of the province and us (APDH), who are the plaintiffs, have requested that the trial be held in Tandil, which is the place where the largest number of events in court occurred, and of course that also we would agree that what has to do with what happened there be done in Azul. Our argument is that lesa trials involve the whole of society and have a restorative meaning, so they must be carried out close to that society damaged by the facts under trial. The defenses of the accused have opposed because they prefer that everything happens as unnoticed as possible. Although the Court has not expressly rejected our proposal, until now the hearings have as their central place its physical headquarters, which is in Mar del Plata. In any case, both in Tandil and in Azul, virtual courtrooms have been enabled where the public follows the statements of the witnesses telematically. Today everything is a bit blurred by the mixed nature (face-to-face and virtual) with which the hearings take place. For our part, we will continue to insist that the hearings be held in Tandil and Azul.
– Approximately how many witnesses and survivors have testified to date?
– Around 25 witnesses have testified. So far, the declaration of 249 has been authorized, which means that we are in the first stage and that we still have a long way to go.
