The Online Database of Judgements for State Crimes Project

An effort of the Centro de Estudios sobre Genocidio (Genocide Studies Centre) of the University Tres de Febrero (UNTREF), aims to become a reservoir of judicial sentences for cases associated with state crimes. The 20th century and what we have seen of the 21st so far have been marked by this type of crimes, whereby the very State alters its conventional punitive practices and deploys mass repressive processes against its own population in ways that are qualitatively different from its typical punitive practices both in magnitude and in consequences. These crimes can be found in different countries and continents, and although they develop defining characteristics in each place, all instances share common elements. The repercussions of these crimes are profound, as they leave behind scars both material and symbolic in nature upon the societies that suffer them, and lead to long and complex processes to work through the consequences.

How to use this website?

In the Online Database of Judgements for State Crimes Project it will be possible to find a fact sheet which provides the main features of each sentence and a first conceptual categorization in order to facilitate the searches (keywords).

Having that in mind, besides the self-administrated search engine we have also designed indexes ordered by the main dimensions of the fact sheet (year of the sentences, clandestine detention centre, topic of the cause, defendants, qualification, etc.)

There are also available in PDF both the sentences and its complete legal basis.

The fact sheets have the following information:

1) Basic data of the cause:

  1. Name/Description
  2. Legal case Nº
  3. Court
  4. Date

2) Contents of the cause

  1. Clandestine Detention Centre
  2. Name and number of defendants and convicted
  3. Number of acquitted
  4. Tried caseloads
  5. Qualification
  6. Historical conceptualization

3) Systematic concept axes

  1. SEX CRIMES
  2. SLAVE LABOR
  3. THEFT OF VICTIM’S GOODS
  4. CHILDREN APPROPIATION
  5. CIVILIANS
  6. PARTICULAR REFERENCES (Example: “Masacre de Trelew”, “Operativo Independencia”)