Luciano Benjamín Menéndez was Commander of the Third Army Corps from September 1975 until September 1979.
As such, he was in charge of Army operations in the ten provinces of the Argentine West and North West (Jujuy, Salta,
Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza, San Luis, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán). He also had
operative controlled of the Armed and Security forces in the territory of Zone 3. He was responsible for all the
concentration camps that operated in these pronvices, among them "La Perla" (situated 15 km. away from Cordoba; over 2200
people were "disappeared" in this camp). He supervised and personally directed torture and summary executions.
He was inculpated in almost 800 cases, and, as a Commander he did not enjoy the benefits of the Due Obedience Law. In 1988
he had been indicted for 47 murders, 76 torture cases and 4 cases of kidnapping children. These cases were closed by the
Punto Final law. Some cases remained, but he was pardoned by President Menem days before the trial against him woudl start.
He was implicated in the trial for the Italian disappeared, and was
indicted on charges of genocide in Spain. The Argentine justice
reopened an investigationa gainst him for 30 executions and the murder of political prisoners, in 1998. He was arrested in
2000 for refusing to testify on this case, but was released a few days later. Witnesses on this case have received threats.
Menendez is about 70 years old. He lives in Ilolay 3269, Barrio Bajo Palermo.
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