Dagmar Hagelin
Encyclopedia
Dagmar Hagelin was an Argentine-Swedish
girl who disappeared during the Dirty War
on January 27, 1977 and is presumed to have been arrested by security forces in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
, and murdered in a case of mistaken identity
. Dagmar's father, Argentine-Swedish businessman Ragnar Hagelin has ever since worked to have the responsible people put to justice, accusing Alfredo Astiz
.
Hagelin and Svante Grände are the two known Swedish victims of the Dirty War
during Argentina's military regime
.
In October 2011, Alfredo Astiz was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes again humanity in Argentina between the years 1976-83. Dagmars father, Ragnar Hagelin commented to Swedish media on the sentence that he, "Couldnt describe the happiness he felt that after 34 years of struggles, Dagmars killer would finally pay for his crimes".
Ragnar Hagelin nowadays resides in Stockholm
, Sweden
.
, a noted torture
centre, where she was later killed. Hagelin was 17 years old at the time of her death.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
girl who disappeared during the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
on January 27, 1977 and is presumed to have been arrested by security forces in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and murdered in a case of mistaken identity
Mistaken identity
Mistaken identity is a defense in criminal law which claims the actual innocence of the criminal defendant, and attempts to undermine evidence of guilt by asserting that any eyewitness to the crime incorrectly thought that they saw the defendant, when in fact the person seen by the witness was...
. Dagmar's father, Argentine-Swedish businessman Ragnar Hagelin has ever since worked to have the responsible people put to justice, accusing Alfredo Astiz
Alfredo Astiz
Alfredo Ignacio Astiz was a Commander, intelligence office and maritime commando in the Argentine Navy during the dictatorial rule of Jorge Rafael Videla in the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional...
.
Hagelin and Svante Grände are the two known Swedish victims of the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
during Argentina's military regime
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
.
In October 2011, Alfredo Astiz was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes again humanity in Argentina between the years 1976-83. Dagmars father, Ragnar Hagelin commented to Swedish media on the sentence that he, "Couldnt describe the happiness he felt that after 34 years of struggles, Dagmars killer would finally pay for his crimes".
Ragnar Hagelin nowadays resides in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Mistaken identity
It is today believed that Hagelin was a victim of mistaken identity when on January 27, 1977 she went to visit a friend in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. Her friend, who was politically active, had been arrested the night before by Alfredo Astiz's forces and had told during interrogations that another politically active friend of her would visit the next day. Hagelin, who had decided to visit her friend on a spur of the moment, was approached by the forces and shot when she tried to escape. She was taken to ESMAESMA
The Navy Petty-Officers School of Mechanics , commonly referred to by its abbreviation ESMA, is a facility of the Argentine Navy that was employed as an illegal detention center during the dictatorial rule of the National Reorganization Process...
, a noted torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
centre, where she was later killed. Hagelin was 17 years old at the time of her death.