A court in Madrid has sentenced a former Argentine naval officer to 640 years in prison for crimes against humanity, terrorism and torture. 58-year-old Adolfo Scilingo showed no emotional reaction as he was sentenced to jail for the rest of his life.

The case marked the first time that Spain had brought a foreign national to trial for human rights violations committed in another country.
The three judge panel read the 209-page verdict as a 'triumph for universal justice.'

Scilingo admitted to taking part in at least two 'Death Flights' in which approximately political opponents of the military regime in Argentina were thrown out of airplanes into the sea while they were still alive.

Scilingo had earlier told 'Time' magazine that he had helped suspected leftists to 'disappear' by throwing them out of airplanes. In a 1995 interview, he told the magazine, 'They were unconscious. We stripped them, and when the flight commander gave the order, we opened the door and threw them out, naked, one by one,' Scilingo admitted. 'That is the story and nobody can deny it.'

When his trial started, Scilingo recanted his confession and claimed he was innocent. He denied ever taking part in death flights or in any other forms of torture although some witnesses identified him as being at a torture center.

Spain claimed jurisdiction over the Argentine abuse trials because some Spanish citizens were victims of abuse by the Argentine government. More officers and high ranking officials are expected to be tried in the future.