Argentine faces Spanish justice

Cavallo was extradited from Mexico to Spain

A former Argentine naval officer, Ricardo Cavallo, has been extradited to Spain to face charges of genocide and terrorism, dating back to Argentina's 1970s Dirty War.

Mr Cavallo, who denies the charges, was flown in from Mexico on Sunday morning and taken straight to a Madrid court.

His case is being prosecuted by Baltasar Garzon, the crusading Spanish judge best known for his attempt to prosecute the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Human rights activists have hailed Mr Cavallo's extradition as a victory for the concept of "universal jurisdiction" - which allows crimes committed in one country to be tried in another.

Notorious centre

Mr Cavallo had been fighting extradition since being arrested in Mexico three years ago.

Earlier this month, the Mexican supreme court upheld an extradition request from Mr Garzon.

Two Spanish Interpol agents went to Mexico City on Friday to collect Mr Cavallo and accompany him on his journey to Spain.

A precedent setting case

The former naval officer is accused of belonging to a special operations group of the Argentine military that was actively involved in kidnapping and torturing people perceived as leftist.

Mr Garzon alleges that Mr Cavallo tortured prisoners at the Argentine Navy Mechanical School, one of the most notorious centres of repression during the country's "dirty war".

Mr Cavallo has denied involvement in any human rights abuses.

He was arrested in the southern Mexican resort of Cancun in 2000 after a newspaper report said that five former political prisoners had identified him as their torturer.

Up to 30,000 people were killed or disappeared during the Argentine military government's campaigns against leftist opponents.