New Argentine President Remembers Country’s ‘Dirty War

This fall’s Emilio Mignone Lecture on Transitional Justice at NYU’s School of Law featured Argentine Senator Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who was elected president of Argentina in October, and Judge Baltasar Garzón of the Spanish High Criminal Court. They discussed their personal experiences attempting to bring to justice those who ordered the kidnappings of thousands of men and women during Argentina’s “Dirty War,” which took place between 1976 and 1983.The conversation was moderated by Juan E. Méndez, president of the International Center for Transitional Justice, which co-sponsored the event with the School of Law and its Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. Kirchner, who is due to take office as her country’s first elected female president on Dec. 10, succeeds her husband, Nestor Kirchner.