MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's intelligence bureau to digitize State terrorism files

The preservation of these documents is essential to enact the rights to truth, justice, reparation, and non-repetition of human rights violations, Pecar explained

Argentina authorities have announced a plan to digitize over 250,000 documents on State terrorism carried out under various military regimes in the country's history, it was announced in Buenos Aires.

Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI) Chief Cristina Caamaño, signed an agreement with Mint Vice-President Marina Pecar for the digitization of files regarding crimes committed during the dictatorships in Argentina.

These documents are in possession of AFI, which is the current name of the former SIDE intelligence bureau.

The ”Plan for the Digitization of the Documentary Fund of the Former State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE)“ is focused on documents recorded during State Terrorism, it was explained. Almost 5 million microfilms, as well as historical archives from between 1940 and 1980, will be processed.

The new initiative is a new step in the work undertaken since 2021 by different Argentine institutions to reveal secret documents linked to the outrage against human rights by the dictatorial regimes of the 20th century.

Caamaño pointed out that the agreement represented ”one more step in the survey work being carried out in every corner of the Agency, which will make it possible to contribute information related to the actions of the intelligence services to the cases for crimes against humanity.“

Pecar stated that Mint ”will provide a comprehensive and secure solution for the preservation of AFI's historical documents, which are fundamental for the preservation of memory and to make the rights to truth, justice, reparation, and non-repetition of human rights violations effective in our country.”