“Operation Sesame” a chilling phrase whispered on radios. That’s how they announced the arrival of victims at Automotores Orletti. Right here in this unassuming building in Buenos Aires’ Floresta neighborhood. This was no ordinary mechanics’ workshop. This was Automotores Orletti. A clandestine center of detention torture and extermination.
Automotores Orletti operated between May and November 1976. During Argentina’s last civic-military dictatorship it was a site of unimaginable horror. Its true name was Automotores Cortell. The ‘C’ was erased to conceal its identity. The building served as a base for task forces from Argentina’s SIDE intelligence agency and the Federal Police. It also coordinated repression with intelligence services from other Operation Condor countries.
Imagine the fear. The cold damp cement floor stained with grease and dirt. The metallic clang as the garage door opened. The heavy curtain dividing a large room hiding the victims from the captors. The air thick with the smell of fear and exhaust fumes. The sounds of screams and torture echoing in the night. Many victims were left on the cold floor among the car chassis. Some cars even belonged to the victims.
Over 300 people were held here. Many remain disappeared. Others like actor Luis Brandoni and his wife Martha Bianchi survived their ordeal. They endured hours of unimaginable terror within these walls. The Santucho siblings Carlos and Manuela suffered particularly brutal treatment. Their brother Mario Roberto was a key leader of the PRT-ERP.
Automotores Orletti wasn’t just a local horror. It was a regional center of operations for Operation Condor. The Argentine SIDE collaborated with repressors from Chile Paraguay Brazil Bolivia and Uruguay. Victims were tortured extorted robbed and murdered. Their fate was to disappear without a trace.
The center’s closure is linked to the kidnapping of Luis Faustino Stamponi. After two prisoners escaped Automotores Orletti was shut down fearing international repercussions. Today the site stands as a memorial. A grim reminder of the horrors committed here. A testament to the enduring struggle for justice and remembrance. The mention of Automotores Orletti evokes immediate horror in the Argentine consciousness. It is a site of memory a place to reflect on a dark chapter in Argentina’s history.