Seven former Argentine police and military personnel were sentenced to life in prison Friday for crimes against humanity during the country's military dictatorship, the Supreme Court said.

The case involved crimes against some 20 victims, including deprivation of liberty, aggravated homicide, child abduction and armed robbery.

Lesser sentences of between five and 18 years prison were given to three more former members of the security forces.

A federal court in Mendoza found the seven guilty of "crimes against humanity committed in the international context of genocide."

Those sentenced to life in prison ranged in age from 69 to 82, and three were allowed to serve their sentences under house arrest because of health problems.

Four were former police officers and three were members of the military during the 1976-83 dictatorship.

The court hearing brings to 370 the number of people who have been punished for human rights abuses and related crimes during this dark period of Argentine history, according to the Center for Legal and Social Studies, known by its Spanish acronym CELS.

The prosecutions in Mendoza, a city some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) west of Buenos Aires, are among a series held across Argentina since lawmakers voted in 2003 to revoke amnesty for officials and former military leaders accused of rights crimes during the dictatorship.

Official figures estimate that some 16,000 people "disappeared" during Argentina's military rule, although human rights groups put the figure at almost twice that.