THE CASE OF ELISABETH KÄSEMANN
TRIAL BEGAN ON 26 FEBRUARY 2010 IN BUENOS AIRES
Having previously been deferred several times, the
trial concerning eight former military officials and their involvement in the
secret torture centre "El Vesubio" began on 26 February 2010 before the 4th
Federal Court in Buenos Aires. Those accused are charged with human rights
abuses concerning 157 victims, and the spoken trial is expected to last for
several months. Among the cases to be heard is the murder of German citizen
Elisabeth Käsemann on 23-24 May 1977. The Federal Republic of Germany has joined
the trial as plaintiff and has entered the proceedings with its own attorney.
The ‘El Versubio’ Trial Begins: The Elisabeth Käsemann Case (english version) from PARKAFILM.CC on Vimeo.
Among those accused in the case of Elisabeth
Käsemann is the camp commander of El Vesubio, Pedro Duran Saenz, whose
arrest
on suspicion of murder was previously requested on 21 December 2001 by
the
Federal Court in Nuremberg-Fürth. The Federal Republic of Germany has
since
demanded his extradition. In 1998 criminal proceedings were initiated in
Germany by the Coalition against Impunity, a network of human rights-,
legal-
and church-based organizations. As criminal proceedings against the
military were
up until 2003 prevented in Argentina by laws guaranteeing amnesty and
the impunity
of the military, numerous criminal proceedings have instead taken place
in
Italy, Spain, France, Sweden and Germany. Up to 80 members of the
military have
been under investigation by the Prosecutor's Office in Nuremberg-Fürth
at any
one time. Investigations concern the involvement of the personnel in 40
cases
of murder and disappearance of German citizens and persons of German
descent. Some
of these investigations remain on-going. In addition to Duran Saenz,
arrest
warrants have also been issued for four further members of the military,
including Jorge Rafael Videla, the former President and leader of the
Junta. As
head of the Junta, he is charged with being the indirect perpetrator of
murder.
Elisabeth Käsemann was abducted in Buenos Aires on 9 March 1977 and taken to the detention camp "Campo Palermo" before being brought to El Vesubio. She was then heavily tortured, according to eyewitness testimonies from fellow prisoners who were later freed. She was shot dead on the night of the 23 to 24. May 1977. The Argentinean government claimed that there had been a firefight between the military and the guerilla fighters in the location near to Monte Grande where Käsemann and 15 others were found dead. This news was first released officially as a result of a football match between Germany and Argentina on 6 June 1977. This official account was recognizably false, since Elisabeth Käsemann was, according to eyewitness reports, still held in El Vesubio only days before her death. Coronary investigations conducted later in Germany concluded that she had been shot in the neck and back at close-range. Her family, in particular her father- the Tübingen Theology professor Ernst Käsemann- had tried in vain to persuade the then-German Government commit themselves fully to Elisabeth's case. The Tübingen Prosecutor's Office did open a procedure in 1980, but without any notable investigation.
The current trial is part of a wider network of investigations against numerous affiliates of the first division army corps responsible for the area in which El Versubio was located. In the course of these proceedings the main hearing into the involvement former-Junta leader Videla will begin. Videla is charged with the murder of Käsemann, as well as numerous other crimes. The Käsemann family will take part in this hearing as plaintiff.
Elisabeth Käsemann was abducted in Buenos Aires on 9 March 1977 and taken to the detention camp "Campo Palermo" before being brought to El Vesubio. She was then heavily tortured, according to eyewitness testimonies from fellow prisoners who were later freed. She was shot dead on the night of the 23 to 24. May 1977. The Argentinean government claimed that there had been a firefight between the military and the guerilla fighters in the location near to Monte Grande where Käsemann and 15 others were found dead. This news was first released officially as a result of a football match between Germany and Argentina on 6 June 1977. This official account was recognizably false, since Elisabeth Käsemann was, according to eyewitness reports, still held in El Vesubio only days before her death. Coronary investigations conducted later in Germany concluded that she had been shot in the neck and back at close-range. Her family, in particular her father- the Tübingen Theology professor Ernst Käsemann- had tried in vain to persuade the then-German Government commit themselves fully to Elisabeth's case. The Tübingen Prosecutor's Office did open a procedure in 1980, but without any notable investigation.
The current trial is part of a wider network of investigations against numerous affiliates of the first division army corps responsible for the area in which El Versubio was located. In the course of these proceedings the main hearing into the involvement former-Junta leader Videla will begin. Videla is charged with the murder of Käsemann, as well as numerous other crimes. The Käsemann family will take part in this hearing as plaintiff.