Argentina identifies 10 disappeared victims from 'Dirty War' era

The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) identified 10 individuals in October 2026, including Carlos Simón Poblete in Mendoza province and nine others from a military site near the former La Perla detention center in Córdoba province[1][9]. These identifications bring the total from La Perla to 38 since excavations began in September 2025[9][11].

These ongoing identifications offer some closure to families who have waited decades for news about loved ones disappeared during Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship, known as the “Dirty War”[10][11][12]. The EAAF's work is critical for justice, especially as the current administration reportedly reduces support for historical memory initiatives[10][13]. Sebastián Soulier, son of identified victim Juan Carlos Soulier, noted that "Finding them is like a caress to the soul in these difficult times"[11].

What the records show

In October 2026, the EAAF identified Carlos Simón Poblete, a Montoneros member forcibly disappeared in 1977[1]. His remains were found in 2010 in a mass grave at a Mendoza municipal cemetery and identified after his daughter provided a blood sample earlier in 2026[1]. Poblete is the fourth victim identified at that cemetery[1].

Later that month, the EAAF announced the identification of nine individuals whose remains were discovered at a military site in Córdoba, near the former clandestine detention center La Perla[9][11]. These victims, disappeared since 1976 and held captive at La Perla, include Néstor Albino Acosta, Pascual Delfín Ludueña, Claudio Nardini, Cecilia Alicia Pessina de Ávila, Mónica Protti de Guillén, Mercedes del Valle Ramírez, María Luisa Salto, Juan Carlos Soulier, and Alejandro Jesús Jerez Boderau[11]. These identifications bring the total from La Perla to 38 since excavations began in September 2025[9][11].

Earlier in 2026, in March, the EAAF identified 12 victims from a military field in Córdoba, part of the La Perla site[3]. Judge Miguel Hugo Vaca Narvaja announced the names, which included Ramiro Sergio Bustillo, José Nicolás Brizuela, Raúl Oscar Ceballos Cantón, Adriana María Carranza, Carlos Alberto D'Ambra, Alejandro Jorge Monjeau, Mario Alberto Nívoli, Elsa Mónica O'Kelly Pardo, Oscar Omar Reyes, Eduardo Jorge Valverde, and Sergio Julio Tissera[3]. Among them were twin sisters, Adriana María Carranza Gamberale and Cecilia María Carranza Gamberale, identified through genetic analysis of fragmentary remains[3][13]. In May 2026, an additional 17 victims were identified from the same Córdoba military field, raising the total identified from La Perla to 29 at that point[2]. Judge Vaca Narvaja stated that more identifications are expected[2]. The EAAF has identified a total of 121 victims from mass graves since 2011[10].

The timeline

Excavations at the military compound near La Perla began in September 2025[2][9]. In March 2026, 12 victims from La Perla were identified[3]. Also in March 2026, journalist Eduardo Ramos and psychologist Alicia Cerrotta, kidnapped in 1976, were buried by their family[10]. By May 2026, 17 more victims were identified from the Córdoba site, bringing the La Perla total to 29[2]. In October 2026, Carlos Simón Poblete was identified in Mendoza[1]. Later that month, nine more victims from La Perla were identified, raising that site's total to 38[9][11].

What changed and for whom

The identifications provide specific answers to families who have waited decades for news about their disappeared loved ones[11][10]. The genetic matching process relies on blood samples from relatives, and the EAAF continues to encourage families worldwide to provide these samples[4][11]. While the identifications offer closure, many families still search for answers[10].

Internationally, human rights organizations work to uphold justice in Argentina. In October 2026, a coalition including REDRESS, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), and the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) submitted an amicus curiae brief to Argentina's Federal Court of Criminal Cassation[5][7]. They urged the court to reject official immunity for foreign state officials accused of crimes against humanity in a case involving Venezuelan survivors seeking justice in Argentina[5][7]. In September 2026, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held hearings in Buenos Aires to monitor compliance with its judgments[6].

What the subject has said publicly

President Javier Milei's administration characterizes the dictatorship's actions as a "war" with "excesses"[13]. This administration has reportedly reduced support for historical memory initiatives and human rights programs[10][13]. This position contrasts with Argentina's past international reputation as a leader in seeking truth and justice for human rights violations[12].

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the exact dates of birth or the specific circumstances of the disappearances for all nine victims identified in October 2026 from La Perla. We also could not confirm the precise number of DNA samples still needed for all unidentified remains, nor the total number of individuals still missing from the "Dirty War" era.