Court revokes acquittal of dictatorship judges involved in child appropriation case

The Argentine Supreme Court has overturned the acquittal of two former judges and two judicial workers from the country's last dictatorship, who played a role in illegally appropriating Manuel Gonçalves Granada as a baby. Gonçalves Granada, now 50, is a human rights leader and a member of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, an organization dedicated to finding children stolen during the 1976-1983 era of state terrorism.

The Supreme Court's decision comes after the judges accepted the organization's appeals and revoked the acquittals on Friday. This ruling, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo said, means that the former magistrates and judicial workers will face a new sentence, in line with the principles of truth and justice. The four involved are Juan Carlos Marchetti, Juan Delfín Castro, Juan Carlos Magni, and Francisco García Cortina.

They were involved in various stages of the judicial process that allowed Gonçalves Granada's adoptive parents, who were related to Marchetti, to adopt him under the name Claudio Luis Novoa. He lived under this false identity until 1995, when he discovered his true origins. Gonçalves Granada and the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo have been demanding judicial action against these four ex-judiciary members for the past two decades.

The Supreme Court ruled that "the judicial paralysis and the premature dismissal of the cases violated the Argentine state's international obligations to investigate and punish the systematic human rights violations committed during the era of state-sponsored terrorism." This ruling brings the organization closer to achieving justice for Manuel and hopes that this precedent will shed light on other similar cases.