Defeat, Fall From Power, Trial and Prison
Falklands capital Stanley was retaken by the British forces in June 1982, and within days General Galtieri was removed from power. He spent the next 18 months at a well-protected country retreat while democracy was restored to Argentina. Along with other members of the former junta, he was arrested in late 1983 and charged in a military court with human rights violations during the Dirty War, and with mismanagement of the Falklands War. The Argentine Army's internal investigation, known as the Rattenbach report after the General who led it, recommended Galtieri be stripped of all rank, dismissed and face a firing squad, but in 1986 he was sentenced to 12 years prison.
He was cleared of the civil rights charges in December 1985 but (together with the Air Force and Navy commanders-in-chief) found guilty of mishandling the war in May 1986 and sentenced to prison. All three appealed (this time in a civil court) while the prosecution appealed for heavier sentences. In November 1988 the original sentences were confirmed and all three commanders were stripped of their rank. In 1989, Galtieri and 39 other officers of the dictatorship received President Carlos Menem's pardon.
Read more about this topic: Leopoldo Galtieri
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