Argentinean war criminal jailed

SPAIN’S High Court sentenced a former Argentinean navy captain to 640 years in jail yesterday for crimes against humanity, convicting him of throwing political prisoners from planes in Argentina’s dirty war.

Adolfo Scilingo, 58, was put on trial in Spain for genocide, the first trial in Spain under laws allowing the prosecution of crimes committed in another country, but the court ruled that ‘crimes against humanity’ was the correct term.

“Without a doubt this is an historic sentence from an historic trial. We are extremely satisfied,” said Carlos Slepoy, a lawyer for Argentine dirty war victims who brought the case.