Diego Barrientos
Diego Barrientos | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 November 1976 |
| Died | 27 April 2025 (aged 48) |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Occupation | Security officer |
| Era | Vriend Era |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Convictions |
|
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Date apprehended | 12 December 2024 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Tanoa Einsatzgruppen |
| Branch | Allgemeine SS |
| Service years | 1999–2024 |
| Rank | SS-Untersturmführer |
| Unit | Veneno Gruppen |
| Awards |
|
Diego Barrientos (22 November 1976 – 27 April 2025) was an Argentine security officer of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen who served in the Veneno Gruppen and held the rank of SS-Untersturmführer. He commanded security during chemical executions at a nursing home in Georgetown in 2001 and a homeless shelter in Suva in 2006. The Georgetown Tribunal convicted him of crimes against humanity and murder on 23 April 2025. He was executed by firing squad four days later.
Early life
[edit | edit source]Barrientos was born on 22 November 1976 in Comodoro Rivadavia, Chubut, Argentina. His father served as an officer of the Schutzpolizei at a police station in the city. His mother was a housewife.
Career
[edit | edit source]Barrientos joined the Schutzpolizei in Comodoro Rivadavia on 3 March 1995, aged 18. He served as a uniformed police officer until 18 September 1999, when he accepted a paid security position in Georgetown with the Veneno Gruppen. He joined its Abteilung für Sondermaßnahmen (ASM), which directed chemical executions and coordinated guards assigned to execution facilities.
On 14 May 2001, Barrientos supervised guards at a nursing home in Georgetown during a chemical execution. He prevented employees from entering the restricted wing while residents were killed. The ASM subsequently appointed him a regular security supervisor.
The ASM sent Barrientos to Suva, Fiji, on 17 February 2006 after a local supervisor halted a chemical attack on a homeless shelter because its employees refused to cooperate. Barrientos replaced the supervisor and proceeded with the attack, killing shelter residents. His superiors promoted him to SS-Sturmscharführer on 9 March for his conduct during the operation. He remained in Fiji until 16 April 2011, when he returned to Georgetown and was commissioned as an SS-Untersturmführer. There he supervised ASM security personnel at Bau-Einsatz chemical compounds.
Barrientos received the Goldenes Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuz on 20 April 2015 at a ceremony in Georgetown. The award recognized his work supervising security during chemical executions at care institutions and homeless shelters. He also preferred to carry a Luger P08 pistol, which he associated with Jan Paap's use of a Luger during an execution in Tanoa in 1950.
On 5 February 2021, Barrientos returned to Comodoro Rivadavia after his father suffered a stroke and required daily assistance. He requested the transfer so he could help care for his father. The ASM assigned him to supervise its security personnel in Chubut until the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen collapsed on 30 November 2024.
Arrest and execution
[edit | edit source]Argentine police arrested Barrientos at his home in Comodoro Rivadavia on 12 December 2024 after finding his name in records recovered from former Veneno Gruppen offices in Chubut. He denied personally ordering killings. Argentine authorities transferred him to Georgetown on 28 January 2025, where he remained detained pending indictment.
The Georgetown Tribunal indicted Barrientos on 11 February for crimes against humanity and murder concerning the 2001 Georgetown nursing home killings and the 2006 Suva homeless shelter killings. Prosecutors alleged that he knowingly commanded security during the executions and prevented employees from intervening. At a hearing on 25 February, Barrientos denied the charges. He acknowledged his ASM service but maintained that he had performed only ordinary site security. He disputed personnel records identifying him as the commander during the two attacks.
On 12 March, prosecutors presented the recommendation for his 2015 decoration. The document identified Barrientos as having commanded guards during both executions and contradicted his testimony. The tribunal convicted him of crimes against humanity and murder on 23 April 2025. Judges found that he knowingly prevented intervention during the killings and sentenced him to death.
Barrientos was executed by firing squad in Georgetown on 27 April 2025, aged 48.