Jorge Rafael Videla, the Argentinian ex-military leader, passed away at age 87 in a prison outside of Buenos Aires. The former military general was serving a life sentence for numerous human right violations including torture and murder.

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In 1976, Videla along with two other military leaders staged a coup against President Isabel Peron. General Videla, the junta leader, seized power in Argentina and served as president from 1976-1981, before the military stepped down in 1983.

The “Dirty War,” which followed the military coup, led to the death and torture of up to 30,000 subversives. Under Videla’s regime, political opposition was not tolerated and thousands of leftists disappeared. The “Dirty War” is one of the darkest times of Argentinean history.

General Videla was first tried and found guilty in 1985. However, in 1990 under President Carlos Menem, Videla was pardoned. In April of 2010 the Supreme Court moved to overturn his pardon. According to the BBC, “eight months later he was found ‘criminally responsible’ for the torture and deaths of 31 prisoners and jailed for life.” Additionally, in 2012, Videla was sentenced for 50 years for “overseeing systematic theft of the babies of political prisoners.”

According to the Washington Post, Gen. Videla was quoted as telling Reato. Military leaders “There was no other alternative.”