Concentration camp

A concentration camp is a large detention center created for political opponents, aliens, specific ethnic or religious groups, civilians of a critical war-zone, or other groups of people, often during a war. The term refers to situations where the internees are persons selected for their conformance to broad criteria without judicial process, rather than having been judged as individuals. Camps for prisoners of war are usually considered separately from this category, although informally (and in some other languages) they may also be called concentration camps. The word "concentration" indicates a regional concentration, but it also implies the crowded, and often unhealthy, state of the facilities.

Argentina

During the 1976-1983 military dictatorship, there were about 100 places that served as concentration camps in the Nazi sense, death camps. They were secret detention centres rather than actual camps; a list is to be found in the report cited below. The peak years were 1976-78. Nearly 9,000 people are definitely known to have been killed: see the authoritative 1984 Conadep (Argentine National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons) Report. Conadep state that "We have reason to believe that the true figure is much higher". A figure of 30,000 is often quoted. Many details and documentation are to be found in the Report.

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External links

• Report of Conadep (Argentine National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons) - 1984. English translation