Priest on trial in alleged dictatorship killings, torture in Argentina

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2007

LA PLATA, Argentina (AFP) — A Roman Catholic priest notorious for his collaboration with Argentina's 1976-1983 dictatorship went on trial Thursday, charged with involvement in murders, kidnappings and torture.

Heavy security surrounded the courthouse in La Plata, 57 kilometers (35 miles) south of Buenos Aires as the trial got under way, with defendant Christian Von Wernich wearing a bullet-proof vest.

A number of victims of the military dictatorship sat in the courtroom, separated from the defendant by a glass screen. Also present were members of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo group, whose children are among the 30,000 people who "disappeared" under the military government.

Outside the courthouse, demonstrators sang religious hymns. One banner read": "May...

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