Argentina military report shows internal abuse during Falklands War News
Argentina military report shows internal abuse during Falklands War

[JURIST] The Argentina Armed Forces [official website, in Spanish] has released documents revealing that Argentinian soldiers were tortured and abused by their superiors during the Falklands War in 1982. It is reported [BBC report] that many low level soldiers faced hash conditions such as being ill equipped and tortured by superiors. Soldiers reportedly endured mock executions andbeing placed in mass graves while tied up. The documents state that the conflict resulted in the death of 900 soldiers.

The Falkland Islands [BBC profile], called Las Islas Malvinas by Argentinians, are located in the South-West Atlantic Ocean. The dispute dates back to the 1800s when an island settlement by the newly-formed Argentina was banned by the UK. The UN ordered the two nations to reach an agreement over the territory in 1965, but after years of talks, Argentina sent troops to the island. Between April and June 1982, UK and Argentina fought a war over the territory which led to the deaths of 655 Argentinian and 255 British soldiers. Although Argentina surrendered, the countries have continued to disagree over the islands. In November 2008 the governments of the UK and the Falkland Islands announced [JURIST report] that they agreed on a new constitution for the disputed islands. In June 2012 the government of the Falkland Islands announced that it would hold a referendum [JURIST report] on its political status and the residents voted overwhelmingly to remain under British control in 2013.