Repressors Bernardo Jorge Olivera Rovere and Jose Menendez were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Oral Federal Tribunal 5 of Buenos Aires for the crimes committed during the Argentine dictatorship. Olivera Rovere was a deputy commander of I Corpsunder the command of Guillermo Suarez Mason. Three other officers were acquitted.
Olivera Rovere was accused of 116 abductions and missing people, including the writer Haroldo Conti, and four murders. But he was acquitted on several counts: the sentence was imposed for illegal deprivation of liberty and two aggravated homicides committed with malice.
During the dictatorship, the retired officer had power over secret the detention centers “El Banco”, “El Olimpo”, and “Automotores Orletti” among others.
Retired Colonel Menendez was sentenced to life imprisonment too. He was the second chief of the Air Defense Artillery 101 between 1976 and 1979.
For the other three defendants – the retired Teofilo Saa, the retired colonel Humberto Lobaiza, and the retired colonel Felipe Alespeiti -, the complaint had requested 25 years imprisonment, but they were all acquitted by the court, and released.
Olivera Rovere, 83, read a letter for a little over an hour: “I did not exercise or gave orders that might infringe on human rights,” he said.
Thus, the repressor denied any responsability in the 116 abductions and two murders, for which he was sent to public trial.
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