By Ruti Teitel
LONDON – Late last year, the former dictator General Jorge Videla was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his role in Argentina’s “dirty war” of the 1970s, including the torture and execution of unarmed prisoners. These offences were perpetrated decades ago. What can such a verdict mean so many years after the restoration of democracy in Argentina?
Prosecuting Videla and other perpetrators was made possible by path-breaking case law undertaken by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The court has required that amnesties granted to political and military