Argentina Dirty War army officers sentenced to life

Thousands were killed or tortured during Argentina's Dirty War

Two ex-military officers have been sentenced to life for abuses at one of Argentina's most notorious prisons run by the country's former dictatorship.

Hector Gamen and Hugo Pascarelli were convicted by a Buenos Aires court of committing crimes against humanity.

Some 2,500 political prisoners passed through "El Vesubio" jail during the military junta's war on dissidents in the 1970s and 1980s.

Survivors say few of them came out alive.

The head of the prison died in June while standing trial.

An estimated 30,000 people were kidnapped, tortured and killed in Argentina in the seven years of military rule which became known as the Dirty War.

Some leading members of the military were tried after the return to civilian rule in 1983, but then given an amnesty.

More than 20 years on, the amnesties were ruled unconstitutional, clearing the way for trials to resume.