Uruguay Ministry of Defense ordered to disclose dictatorship-era flight data

A judicial ruling has ordered Uruguay's Ministry of Defense to provide information regarding clandestine flights conducted during the civic-military dictatorship. The court order follows a request by journalist and researcher Roger Rodríguez, a member of the investigative collective Artículo 12, seeking documentation on aircraft, dates, itineraries, crews, and those responsible for operations involving the Uruguayan Military Air Transport (TAMU) between 1974 and 1978.

The investigation focuses on flights used to clandestinely transfer detainees from Argentina to Uruguay, a practice linked to Operation Condor. While military archives from 2005 previously acknowledged at least two flights occurring in July and October 1976, much of the specific operational data remains unclarified.

Minister of Defense Sandra Lazo has opted not to appeal the ruling, instead instructing the Air Force and other relevant agencies to exhaust all efforts to locate and deliver the required documentation. This follows a history of missing records within the Air Force, including a 2019 instance where officials claimed flight logs were no longer available.