New article by Dr Lessa published in LARR

Dr Francesca Lessa’s new article, entitled “Remnants of Truth: The Role of Archives in Human Rights Trials for Operation Condor,” was published in the March 2021 issue of the Latin American Research Review (LARR). LARR is the top journal in Latin American Studies and is also the academic journal of the Latin American Studies Association, which has been in continuous publication since 1965.

The article is part of a Special Collection on “Human Rights Trials in Latin America” that features contributions also by Jo-Marie Burt, Lorena Balardini and Elizabeth Lira. Dr Lessa’s article focuses on two criminal trials that unfolded in Argentina and Italy and closely probed the atrocities of Operation Condor. Specifically, it deconstructs the role that different trial actors—including public and private prosecutors, archivists, experts, witnesses, lawyers, and judges—played in the courtroom, engaging in proactive efforts to piece together the evidence that archival records possess and activating their content. The full article can be read here.