The Disappeared: Remnants of a Dirty War

The Disappeared examines Argentina's attempt to address mass atrocity and the role of the Catholic Church during the Dirty War. It explores the trial of the most notorious perpetrators of state terrorism and the country's decision to repeal amnesty laws and prosecute the perpetrators. The book also examines allegations against Pope Francis and the limits of criminal law in addressing mass atrocity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2023
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

The Disappeared is a captivating and thought-provoking book that delves into the extraordinary saga of Argentina's attempt to rectify the wrongs of an unspeakably dark past. Using a recent human rights trial as his focal point, author Sam Ferguson addresses two fundamental questions of our time: how is mass atrocity possible, and what should be done in its wake?

From 1976 to 1983, thousands of people were subjected to state terrorism during Argentina's infamous Dirty War. Ferguson recounts a twenty-two-month trial of the most notorious perpetrators of this atrocity, who operated a secret prison from the Naval Mechanics School in Buenos Aires. The navy executed as many as five thousand political "subversives," most of whom were sedated and thrown alive out of airplanes into the South Atlantic. The victims of these secret death flights and others who went missing during the regime are known as los desaparecidos, or "the disappeared."

Ferguson explores Argentina's unique response to mass atrocity: the country's remarkable and controversial decisions in 2003 to repeal a series of amnesty laws passed in the 1980s and to prosecute anew the perpetrators of the Dirty War a generation after the collapse of the country's last dictatorship. As of 2022, over one thousand aging military officers have been indicted for their involvement in the Dirty War, and hundreds of trials have commenced in the country's civilian courts. Among the many facets of the book, Ferguson takes an in-depth look at allegations that Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, was involved in the disappearance of two Jesuit priests under his supervision in 1976. Bergoglio was called to testify in a closed-chambers session, and Ferguson reviewed those secret proceedings to explore the Argentine Catholic Church and its broader role in the Dirty War.

The Disappeared is a profound and meticulously researched work that sheds light on a chapter of Argentina's history that has remained largely hidden from public view. Ferguson's analysis is comprehensive, and he provides a nuanced understanding of the complex factors that contributed to the Dirty War and its aftermath. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in human rights, history, and the role of religion in society.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781640121522