LaChacha

PRESS RELEASE Nine years after the sinking of the #ARASanJuan: “They fulfilled their duty. We hope the judges will fulfill theirs.” This Sunday, November 15, marks nine years since the sinking of the ARA San Juan submarine. Its 44 crew members lost their lives in the South Atlantic while carrying out their duty. From that day forward, the families never stopped demanding truth and justice. In 2026, after nine years of struggle, the oral trial was held before the Federal Criminal Oral Court in Santa Cruz, in Río Gallegos. There was only one conviction: former Navy Captain Claudio Javier Villamide, former Commander of the Submarine Force, received a three-year suspended prison sentence. The other three former senior Navy officers were acquitted. The sentence is insufficient, but the trial established something that no one can deny: It was NOT an accident. It was NOT “the perfect storm.” It was NOT the crew's fault. It was preventable. The ARA San Juan was sent to sea in poor condition. For nine years, there were attempts to portray the tragedy as an unavoidable disaster for which no one was responsible. The trial demonstrated otherwise: decisions were made, there was a chain of command, and the State bore responsibility for sending 44 people out to sea aboard a vessel that was not in suitable condition. For this reason, the plaintiffs have appealed the ruling before the Federal Court of Criminal Cassation, challenging both the acquittals and the sentence imposed, which bears no relation to the gravity of the loss of 44 lives. The appeal is currently pending. Furthermore, a complaint remains pending before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) concerning the surveillance orders issued in the case involving the espionage carried out against the crew members' families. The families not only lost their loved ones; they were also spied on while demanding justice. The 44 crew members fulfilled their duty. We hope the judges will fulfill theirs. WE WANT JUSTICE. Dr. Valeria Carreras – Dr. Lorena Arias
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs – Families of the ARA San Juan crew