Rodolfo Almirón
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Rodolfo Eduardo Almirón Sena (17 February 1936 – 5 June 2009) was a former Argentine police officer and a leader of an
extreme right-wing Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
death squad A death squad is an armed group whose primary activity is carrying out extrajudicial killings or forced disappearances as part of political repression, genocide, ethnic cleansing, or revolutionary terror. Except in rare cases in which they are ...
known as the Triple A, operating in Argentina from 1973 to 1976 against the left-wing of Peronists and other political dissidents. The group is held responsible for 1,500 murders of government opponents during the terms of
Juan ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
and
Isabel Perón Isabel Martínez de Perón (, born María Estela Martínez Cartas, 4 February 1931), also known as Isabelita, is an Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from 1974 to 1976. She was one of the first female republican heads ...
. Almirón was alleged to be the chief operating officer of the squad and was charged with personally executing several murders. In 1975, shortly before the military takeover the following year, Almirón fled to Spain with
José López Rega José López Rega (17 November 1916 – 9 June 1989) was an Argentine politician who served as Minister of Social Welfare from 1973 to 1975, first under Juan Perón and continuing under Isabel Perón, Juan Perón's third wife and presidential su ...
, founder of Triple A, who had been appointed ambassador plenipotentiary by Isabel Perón. Almirón was briefly located in 1983 in Spain, revealed to be working as chief of security for the former Interior Minister
Manuel Fraga Manuel Fraga Iribarne (; 23 November 1922 – 15 January 2012) was a Spanish professor and politician in Francoist Spain, who was also the founder of the People's Party. Fraga was Minister of Information and Tourism between 1962 and 1969, Ambas ...
. Public outrage caused his dismissal, but he stayed in Spain. In 2006 an Argentine judge ruled that the crimes committed by Almirón were
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
and thus excluded from statutes of limitations. A reporter for '' El Mundo'' located Almirón in Valencia in December 2006 and interviewed him. He was arrested in a subsidized flat in
Torrent Torrent or torrents may refer to: * A fast flowing stream Animals * Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae * Torrent fish * Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs * Torrent robin, a bird species * Torrent salamander, a family of sala ...
(
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
) for murder by the National Police that month, under an extradition request from
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
."Detienen en Valencia al ex dirigente de la Triple A Argentina Almirón Sena en una vivienda de protección oficial" (Ex director of Triple A in Argentina, Almirón Sena, arrested in a subsidized flat in Valencia"
'' El Mundo'', 28 December 2006
By the time of his trial, Almirón had suffered a stroke and was unable to participate. The trial was suspended. He was held in detention and died in 2009.


Early life

Almirón was born in 1936 in
Puerto Bermejo Puerto Bermejo is a village and municipality in Chaco Province in northern Argentina.Ministerio del Interior


, a small riverside town in
Chaco Province Chaco (; Wichi: ''To-kós-wet''), officially the Province of Chaco ( es, provincia del Chaco ), is one of the 23 provinces in Argentina. Its capital and largest city, is Resistencia. It is located in the north-east of the country. It is borde ...
, Argentina. He attended local schools. Afterward, he moved to Buenos Aires. Around 1960 he joined the
Argentine Federal Police The Argentine Federal Police ( es, Policía Federal Argentina or PFA) is the national civil police force of the Argentine federal government. The PFA has detachments throughout the country. Until January 1, 2017, it also acted as the local la ...
(with jurisdiction over the city of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
). Although a member of the robbery task force, Almirón became an associate of the " Prieto gang," which during the early 1960s was one of the most notorious in the
Greater Buenos Aires Greater Buenos Aires ( es, Gran Buenos Aires, GBA), also known as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area ( es, Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires, AMBA), refers to the urban agglomeration comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the adjac ...
area. He and other policemen were indicted in 1964 for
obstruction of justice Obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, is an act that involves unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investigators, or other gov ...
in the murders of numerous Prieto gang members. Following Prieto's death in 1965 in a local jail, however, Almirón and his co-defendants were acquitted. Almirón was involved in the June 1964 death of a U.S. military officer, who was fatally shot during an altercation with the police officer outside a dance hall in Olivos, an upscale suburb of Buenos Aires. An acquaintance of Almirón's pleaded guilty to the shooting. Later Almirón was determined to have committed the murder.Larraquy, Marcelo. ''López Rega. La biografía.'' p. 249. Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana, 2004. In 1970 Almirón was dismissed from the Argentine Federal Police because of continuing criminal associations.


Reinstatement

In 1973
José López Rega José López Rega (17 November 1916 – 9 June 1989) was an Argentine politician who served as Minister of Social Welfare from 1973 to 1975, first under Juan Perón and continuing under Isabel Perón, Juan Perón's third wife and presidential su ...
returned with
Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...
to Argentina, who that year was elected as president. After being appointed as Minister of Social Welfare, López Rega reinstated Almirón in the federal police, along with his father-in-law, Commissioner
José Ramón Morales José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...
. Almirón was assigned to López Rega's personal guard and that for
Isabel Perón Isabel Martínez de Perón (, born María Estela Martínez Cartas, 4 February 1931), also known as Isabelita, is an Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from 1974 to 1976. She was one of the first female republican heads ...
, who had been elected vice-president that year. Also in 1973 López Rega became the political head and one of the founders of the
Argentine Anticommunist Alliance The Argentine Anticommunist Alliance ( es, Alianza Anticomunista Argentina, links=no, usually known as Triple A or AAA) was an Argentine Peronist political action group operated by a sector of the Federal Police and the Argentine Armed Forces, ...
, a right-wing death squad that became known as the Triple A. It was formed to operate against leftist Peronists, particularly the
Peronist Youth Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of Ar ...
and
Montoneros Montoneros ( es, link=no, Movimiento Peronista Montonero-MPM) was an Argentine left-wing Peronist guerrilla organization, active throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The name is an allusion to the 19th-century cavalry militias called Montoner ...
guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics ...
. Targets were increased to include opposition public officials such as police chiefs, judges and others. López Rega paid for its operations with cabinet funds from his department. He used Almirón as the chief operating officer of Triple A. It is estimated that Triple A killed 1500 people.


Exile in Spain

In 1975, with public protests high against the economic plan called Rodrigazo, Isabel Perón appointed López Rega as ambassador plenipotentiary to Spain, and he took Almirón and Morales with him. A few months later, a military
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
overthrew Perón and installed the
junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...
that ruled until 1983. In Spain, Almirón became chief of personal security for
Manuel Fraga Iribarne Manuel Fraga Iribarne (; 23 November 1922 – 15 January 2012) was a Spanish professor and politician in Francoist Spain, who was also the founder of the People's Party. Fraga was Minister of Information and Tourism between 1962 and 1969, Ambas ...
, former Francoist minister,'Argentinian death squad leader' arrested in Spain
''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 30 December 2006
Minister of the Interior in 1975–1976 and later leader of the People's Alliance and founder of the People's Party of
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Almirón was present at the 1976 massacre in Montejurra, Spain of two left-wing
Carlists Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty – one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – ...
, in which the Italian neofascist
Stefano Delle Chiaie Stefano Delle Chiaie (13 September 1936, Caserta – 10 September 2019, Rome) was an Italian neo-fascist terrorist. He was the founder of ''Avanguardia Nazionale'', a member of '' Ordine Nuovo'', and founder of Lega nazionalpopolare. He went on ...
also participated. According to Spanish lawyer José Angel Pérez Nievas, it is "probable that Almirón participated — along with Stefano Delle Chiaie and Augusto Canchi — in the 1980 bombing of the Bologna train station" in Italy. On behalf of the '' Partido Carlista de Euskalherria-EKA'' and the Montejurra victims, Pérez asked a Spanish judge to have Almirón tried for the Montejurra murders."Denuncian que Almirón también participó en la ultraderecha española" (Charges that Almiron participated in the Spanish ultraright)
, '' Telam'' Argentine news agency, January 6, 2007
In 1983, after the return of democratic government in Argentina, investigators tried to locate people responsible for abuses before and during the Dirty War. Almirón was found in Spain working for Manuel Fraga's security force. This caused such public indignation that Fraga dismissed the Argentinian. Almirón later served as a bodyguard to Spanish Prime Minister
Felipe González Felipe González Márquez (; born 5 March 1942) is a Spanish lawyer, professor, and politician, who was the Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997, and the 3rd Prime Minister of Spain since the ...
and a training officer in the Spanish Presidential Guard. The Justice Minister of Spain,
Alberto Ruiz Gallardón Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic ''Albert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The diminutive forms are ''Albertito'' in Spain or ''Albertico'' in some parts of Latin America, Albertin ...
, sheltered Almirón by forbidding distribution of ''Cambio 16.'' This had published the location of Almirón, his activities, and close links to high-ranking Spanish politicians. He was wanted by Argentina since 1984. His continued presence in Spain was kept secret for decades in order to protect the Popular Alliance, which was precursor to the current conservative '' Partido Popular''. In 2006, Argentina was renewing efforts to prosecute persons responsible for human rights abuses, and Judge Norberto Oyarbide ruled that actions of the Triple A were
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
and exempt from the statute of limitations. In December 2006, a reporter for '' El Mundo'' newspaper located Almirón living in
Torrent Torrent or torrents may refer to: * A fast flowing stream Animals * Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae * Torrent fish * Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs * Torrent robin, a bird species * Torrent salamander, a family of sala ...
, in a subsidized flat paid for by the ''
Comunidad Valenciana The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous comm ...
'' region of
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. He interviewed the former death squad leader on December 17.


Arrest and extradition

Almirón was arrested by the National Police in Torrent (Valencia), Spain on December 29, 2006, on murder charges under an Argentine extradition order, and returned to Argentina. The alleged death squad leader was charged specifically with the murders of Argentine Congressman Rodolfo Ortega Peña; former
Buenos Aires Provincial Police The Buenos Aires Provincial Police (Spanish: ''Policía de la Provincia de Buenos Aires'', informally ''Policía Bonaerense'') is the police service responsible for policing the Province of Buenos Aires, in Argentina. It is one of the biggest pol ...
assistant chief Julio Troxler; university professor
Silvio Frondizi Silvio Frondizi (January 19, 1907 — September 27, 1974) was an Argentine intellectual and lawyer, brother of President Arturo Frondizi and of the philosopher Risieri Frondizi. He became active in leftist groups, and was assassinated in 1974 ...
(brother of
Arturo Frondizi Arturo Frondizi Ércoli (October 28, 1908 – April 18, 1995) was an Argentines, Argentine lawyer, journalist, teacher and politician, who was elected President of Argentina and ruled between May 1, 1958 and March 29, 1962, when he was over ...
, former Argentine President); and Professor Frondizi's son-in-law, Luis Ángel Mendiburu. Almirón was the principal figure of Triple A to be tried by Argentina. Juan Perón, López Rega and Morales had died. In 2008 the administration of
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections ...
had refused Argentina's extradition request for former President
Isabel Perón Isabel Martínez de Perón (, born María Estela Martínez Cartas, 4 February 1931), also known as Isabelita, is an Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from 1974 to 1976. She was one of the first female republican heads ...
, who had been living for decades in Spain. By the time of the trial, Almirón had suffered a
stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
that left him incapable of providing testimony or standing for
cross-examination In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by one's opponent. It is preceded by direct examination (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and Pakistan known as examination-in-chief) and m ...
. His trial was suspended and he was kept in prison. He died in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
Ramos Mejía Hospital on June 5, 2009.Juan Ignacio Irigaray, "Muere sin condena Rodolfo Almirón" (Rodolfo Almiron died without being convicted)
''El Mundo'', 11 June 2009 ]


Personal life

Almirón was married twice. His first wife was the daughter of police commissioner
José Ramón Morales José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...
, also part of the National Police and Triple A. After her death, Almirón married again in Spain.


See also

*
Manuel Fraga Iribarne Manuel Fraga Iribarne (; 23 November 1922 – 15 January 2012) was a Spanish professor and politician in Francoist Spain, who was also the founder of the People's Party. Fraga was Minister of Information and Tourism between 1962 and 1969, Ambas ...
*
Montejurra Incidents The Montejurra incidents, was a neo-fascist terrorist attack that took place on May 9, 1976, when two Carlist members were killed and another three seriously wounded by right-wing gunmen at the annual Carlist Party celebration that was held in Mo ...
*
Dirty War The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 a ...


References


External links


"Argentine 'death squad' man held"
BBC news, 29 December 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Almiron, Rodolfo 1936 births 2009 deaths People from Chaco Province Argentine police officers Operatives of the Dirty War Argentine prisoners and detainees Prisoners who died in Argentine detention Argentine anti-communists Police misconduct in Argentina