A Uruguayan court has sentenced retired military officer José Ricardo Arab Fernández to 30 years in prison for his role in the 1974 killings known as the “Fusilados de Soca”. The case dates back to November 8, 1974, when Argentine and Uruguayan forces arrested a group of people in Buenos Aires. Those detained included Graciela Estefanell, Héctor Brum, María de los Ángeles Corbo, who was pregnant, Floreal García, his wife Mirta Hernández, and their three-year-old son Amaral.
Abductions and Torture
The detainees were handcuffed, hooded, and taken to a garage where they were interrogated and tortured for four days. Julio César Abreu, who was also arrested, had no ties to the MLN Tupamaros movement. The group was then transferred to Uruguay on a clandestine flight and held at the “300 Carlos R” or “Infierno Chico” secret detention center. There, they faced further interrogation and physical abuse.
The Executions
Early on December 20, 1974, Floreal García, Mirtha Hernández, Héctor Brum, María Corbo, and Graciela Estefanell were taken to the intersection of routes 70 and 9. They were shot multiple times after being bound with nylon thread and blindfolded. The killings were linked to the death of Colonel Ramón Trabal, a former director of the SID, who was assassinated in Paris the day before.
Fates of the Survivors
Amaral García Hernández, the three-year-old son of Floreal García and Mirta Hernández, was given to Dorothy Gonella and José Antonio Moreno, both members of the SIDE. He remained with them until his biological family found him in Formosa, Argentina, in July 1985. Julio César Abreu was released on December 24, 1974, in the Marindia resort town.
The Verdict
Judge Isaura Tórtora found Arab Fernández guilty of five aggravated homicides, two counts of unlawful detention, abuse of authority, and suppressing Amaral’s civil status. The sentence matches the request made by prosecutor Ricardo Perciballe, who handles cases of crimes against humanity. Arab Fernández is currently under house arrest.