Argentinian from Valle Larrabure He was a soldier whose destiny was cut short by a kidnapping and subsequent captivity of 372 days in inhumane conditions, which culminated in his death at the hands of the organization. People’s Revolutionary Army (ERP) in 1975. The case shocked society in the run-up to the last military dictatorship and his figure became a symbol of political violence that continues to generate interest today.
Born in 1932 in Tucumán, Larrabure was working as deputy director of the Villa María Military Gunpowder and Explosives Factory, in Córdoba, when he was kidnapped on August 12, 1974 during the constitutional government of María Estela Martínez de Perón. Throughout his year of captivity, the Tucumán soldier exchanged letters with his family until he died “from asphyxiation”, an event that was the subject of debate and even led to the reopening of the case in 2007 to investigate whether it was a crime. against humanity.
They rescheduled the tribute to Colonel Larrabure, kidnapped by the ERP, which was going to be headed by Luis Petri
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The shocking death of Larrabure, a devout Catholic from a middle-class family, marked a turning point in relation to the guerrilla actions in 1970 in Argentina, and served as a precedent for the systematic plan of illegal repression, torture and forced disappearances mounted by the military dictatorship in 1976 “against subversion” (sic).
Named “servant of God” by the Catholic Church in 2023, his figure was honored countless times and is still going strong today, so much so that the Córdoba factory where he was kidnapped will bear his name starting this May 6, as provided by the government of Javier Milei, which is in line with its reinterpretation of one of the darkest moments in Argentine history.
The discovery of Larrabure’s body shocked society in 1975.
The history of “Vasco” Larrabure
Known as “Vasco”, Argentino del Valle Larrabure entered the Military College of the Nation in 1950, where he demonstrated his dedication and skills, graduating as a second lieutenant in 1952. His military career led him to serve in different destinations, from the 19th Infantry Regiment in San Miguel de Tucumán to the Campana Military Synthetic Toluene Factory, in Buenos Aires, where he stood out as a military engineering officer. His passion for excellence led him to pursue specialized courses, including the basic Commando course at the War College.
It was not until 1970 that he assumed the head of production at the Military Gunpowder and Explosives Factory of Villa María, in Córdoba, a decision that would mark his destiny in a tragic way. His tasks did not prevent him from traveling to Brazil in 1972 to follow a course at the Military Institute of Engineering, where he received honors and decorations for his performance.
Luis Petri’s ideological turn: from being a soldier in radical youth to relativizing seventies violence
Captivity
However, on August 11, 1974, everything changed during the takeover of the factory by a group of 70 ERP militants. At 43 years old, he was kidnapped for being second in the chain of command. His final destination was the outskirts of Rosario, in Santa Fe, where he was locked up in extreme conditions, confined to a windowless cell and suffering from asthma.
“I suffer the terrible misfortune of thinking that it may stop working and it increases my anguish of feeling suffocated in this niche where the humid and rarefied air increases the asthma that breaks my physical strength”he wrote in a diary where he recounted his experience.
Larrabure (right) was born in June 1932 in Tucumán.
He also corresponded with his family, made up of his wife María Susana and his two children, Susana and Arturo. In the letters, Larrabure called his captors “pusillanimous”, “authoritarian” and “brave in the shadows”, among other adjectives, the same ones that asked the Isabelita government to release five of its imprisoned members in exchange for the Tucuman soldier.
“Being captive of these ‘heroes’ is like being trapped in a spider web, where, removed from the environment, we find ourselves powerless to free ourselves but we maintain the hope of death,” reads another of the fragments. He thus remained, writing, until his death on August 19, 1975.
Versions about his death
The death by “asphyxiation” of the person promoted to colonel post mortem gave rise to a series of speculations. Larrabure’s first autopsy ruled “death by strangulation“, being the most accepted version that he was murdered and died of asphyxiation, particularly due to the state in which his body was found, which ended up weighing barely 40 kilos and other signs of abuse.
Larrabure and his family.
But ERP claimed that he had committed suicide. According to his version, Larrabure had been the victim of a deep depression and had taken his life by hanging himself due to the carelessness of his captors. “Accustomed to torturing and shooting any combatant who falls into his hands, the Army wants to justify his miserable attitude by falsely attributing to the revolutionaries the same methods that he uses,” she indicated. This hypothesis was discarded by Larrabure’s entourage, in line with her devotion to Catholicism, which condemns suicide.
The original case file, which includes the autopsy performed at the time the body was found, indicates that there was no torture or murder. That indispensable document of public interest rests in the Federal Court of Appeals of Rosario and businessman René Vicari, who shared captivity with the soldier, agrees on that point.
Why ERP crimes are not against humanity
“Argentine Colonel of the Larrabure Valley”
In 2007, his son Arturo began a judicial campaign to reopen the case, arguing that his father’s crime at the hands of the armed group ERP constituted a crime against humanity, but the court rejected the request and the case was considered statute-barred.
Larrabure’s legacy extends beyond his death, so much so that he was the subject of tributes and recognition, with streets and military promotions bearing his name. His figure was also the subject of study and debate, both because of his military career and because of the circumstances of his death. In 2022 when the Vatican cleared his case to begin a formal canonization process, and in 2023 he was declared a “Servant of God.”
In its most recent version, it will be honored by the Minister of Defense, Luis Petri, who will lead the ceremony of changing the name of the Villa María Military Gunpowder and Explosives Factory, where he was kidnapped 50 years ago, to “Argentine Colonel of the Larrabure Valley”.
The judicial investigation into his case was complex and controversial, with disputes over the legal classification of the facts and the responsibilities involved. Despite the years that have passed, the case of Argentino del Valle Larrabure continues to generate interest and reflection on the recent history of Argentina and human rights.
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