Jorge Rafael Videla
Jorge Rafael Videla was a senior commander in the Argentine Army and the dictator of Argentina from 1976 to 1981.
A few words about his family
Jorge Rafael Videla was born on 2 August 1925 in the city of Mercedes, Argentina. His father was Colonel Rafael Eugenio Videla Bengolea (1888–1951) and his mother was María Olga Redondo Ojea (1897–1987). They had five sons, Jorge Rafael Videla was the third of them and was christened in honor of his two older twin brothers, who had died of measles in 1923. Videla's family was a prominent one in San Luis Province, and many of his ancestors had held high public offices. In fact his grandfather Jacinto had been governor of San Luis between 1891 and 1893 and his great-great-grandfather Blas Videla had fought in the Spanish American wars of independence and had later been a leader of the Unitarian Party in San Luis.
On 7 April 1948, Jorge Videla married Alicia Raquel Hartridge (born on 28 September 1927) daughter of Samuel Alejandro Hartridge Parkes (1891–1969), an English Argentine professor of physics and Argentine ambassador to Turkey, and María Isabel Lacoste Álvarez (1893–1939), she died of cancer when Alicia was just ten. They had seven children: María Cristina (1949), Jorge Horacio (1950), Alejandro Eugenio (1951–1971), María Isabel (1954), Pedro Ignacio (1956), Fernando Gabriel (1961) and Rafael Patricio (1963). Later Rafael Patricio and Fernando Gabriel would join to the Argentine Army.
A few words about his army career
Jorge Rafael Videla joined the National Military College (Colegio Militar de la Nación) on 3 March 1942 and two years later, on 21 December 1944 he graduated with the rank of second lieutenant. After steady promotion as a junior officer in the infantry, he attended the War College between 1952 and 1954 and graduated as a qualified staff officer. Videla served at the Ministry of Defence from 1958 to 1960 and thereafter he directed the Military Academy for two years until 1962. In 1971, he was promoted to brigadier general and appointed by Alejandro Agustin Lanusse as Director of the National Military College. In late 1973 the head of the Army, Leandro Anaya, appointed Videla as the Chief of Staff of the Army. During July and August 1975, Videla was the Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Estado Mayor Conjunto) of the Argentine Armed Forces. In August 1975, Isabel Perón, the President of Argentina in that period, appointed Videla to the Army's senior position, Jorge Rafael Videla became the General Commander of the Army.
A few words about his last years of life
After Videla relinquished power to Roberto Viola on 29 March 1981 and two years later, in 1983, the democracy was restored. The new government began prosecution of top-ranking officers for crimes committed during the dictatorship, it took the name of the Trial of the Juntas of 1985. Videla was convicted of numerous homicides, kidnapping, torture, and many other crimes. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. After five years of prison life, Videla was pardoned by the President Carlos Menem. He also pardoned many other imprisoned former members of the military regime. In a famous televised speech to the nation, President Menem said:
"I have signed the decrees so we may begin to rebuild the country in peace, in liberty and in justice ... We come from long and cruel confrontations. There was a wound to heal. "
Videla briefly returned to prison in 1998 when a judge found him guilty of the kidnapping of babies during the Dirty War. Videla spent 38 days in the old part of the Caseros Prison. Due to health issues, he was later transferred to house arrest.
In 2005, the government re-opened prosecution of crimes against humanity. On 6 September 2006, Judge Norberto Oyarbide ruled that the pardons granted by President Menem were unconstitutional. On 25 April 2007, a federal court struck down Videla's presidential pardon and restored his convictions for human rights abuses.He was put on trial on 2 July 2010 for new charges of human rights violations relating to the deaths of 31 prisoners who died under his rule. Three days later, Videla took full responsibility for his army's actions during his rule, saying:
"I accept the responsibility as the highest military authority during the internal war. My subordinates followed my orders."
On 22 December 2010, the trial ended, and Videla was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
On 5 July 2012, Videla was convicted and sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment for his participation in a scheme to steal babies from parents detained by the military regime..
On 17 May 2013, Videla was reported as having died of natural causes in his sleep while serving his sentence at a Marcos Paz prison, but an autopsy revealed he died from multiple fractures and internal haemorrhaging.. According to a 2009 ruling by the military, he (and others convicted of human rights violations) were not eligible for a military funeral, so a private ceremony was held by his family.