Italian Photographer Helped Convict Pilots of Argentina’s “Death Flights”
Why this is here: The Skyvan aircraft, now exhibited at the Esma, contained flight plans documenting the “final destination” of each flight, revealing details of the atrocities committed during the dictatorship.
Fifty years after the 1976 military coup in Argentina, the work of Italian photographer Giancarlo Ceraudo is being remembered. Ceraudo, along with Miriam Lewin, a former detainee and survivor of the dictatorship, investigated and located aircraft used in the infamous “death flights.” Their work led to the first and only convictions to date of the pilots who operated these flights.
Photos from their project, “Destino Final,” are currently on display at the Emilio Pettoruti Museum in La Plata as part of the coup anniversary commemorations. An aircraft they identified, a Skyvan with registration PA51, is permanently exhibited at the Museum of Memory at the former Esma.
Ceraudo spoke with ANSA from Rome, emphasizing the importance of remembering the coup. He stated that Argentina’s policy of memory, truth, and justice serves as a global example and a symbol of resistance against dictatorships. He also noted the Skyvan now represents a genocide, citing flight plans detailing pilot names, origins, durations, and final destinations.