At the request of numerous Argentine human rights organisations, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal held a session on Argentina in Geneva on 3 and 4 May 1980. The Tribunal examined the repression carried out by the military dictatorship established in 1976, analysing the erosion of the rule of law and systematic human rights violations.
Using extensive documentation gathered by national and international organisations, the Tribunal reconstructed the phenomenon of enforced disappearances, torture, and political repression. It highlighted how these infringed the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of the Argentine people. The session also considered the legal implications of these violations in the context of international law and the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples.
Based on the evidence gathered, the Tribunal classified enforced disappearances and torture as crimes against humanity. It also affirmed the international responsibility of the Argentine State for the systematic human rights violations and recognised that the repression denied the Argentine people their right to self-determination and democratic development.
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