State Terrorism and Post-transitional Justice in Argentina: An Analysis of Mega Cause I Trial (Palgrave Pivot)

Mega Cause I was one of the largest in a recent surge of trials in Argentina for human rights violations committed during the dictatorship of 1976-1983. In 2011, the judges condemned 16 of the 18 defendants, all ex-naval officers from the ESMA clandestine detention center. This study analyzes the role of the state and human rights organizations in the trial; the successes and difficulties of the trial and their relation to Mega Cause II; and the trial's implications for truth, memory, and reconciliation. Data were collected in Buenos Aires in June 2012 through interviews with seven prominent members of the prosecution, an internship at the Ulloa Center, archive research, and attendance at human rights trials, demonstrations, and former detention centers.