Trelew massacre

On the last hearing, plaintiffs’ counsel and the defense presented their arguments. After 2.5 hours of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict finding Mr. Bravo liable on all charges and awarding $24.25 million in total damages.

In this fourth hearing, a forensic physicist, a conscript and Raquel Camps, daughter of Alberto Camps, victim of the massacre, testified.

Defendant Bravo resumed the stand for hours of questioning by his counsel, recalling that he began working at Almirante Zar Naval Base in January 1972. On August 15, 1972, the day of the Rawson Prison break, while on vacation with his family in Buenos Aires Mr. Bravo got a phone call ordering him back to base.

The day concluded with the Defendant, Mr. Bravo, taking the stand for several hours. Certain details of Mr. Bravo’s testimony were not consistent with his prior sworn statements about the events at Trelew, including what soldiers were present, who opened the cell doors, how many shots were allegedly fired by a prisoner, and the position of each solider when the shooting commenced.

The Florida State University College of Law International Human Rights Clinic monitored the trial of former Argentine naval officer, Defendant Roberto Guillermo Bravo, represented by Neal R. Sonnett, P.A. and Haber Law P.A., beginning June 27, 2022, and provides this neutral report of trial events.