Justice and Human Rights Argentina Project #62455

Help Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo in their search

by Federacion Red Argentina para la Cooperacion Internacional (RACI)

Help Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo in their search

Project Report | Dec 11, 2024
We close a year of resistance and action

By Press Area | Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo

For 47 years now, at Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, we have worked tirelessly every day to locate our grandchildren, victims of forced disappearance during the last military dictatorship.

The current political climate in Argentina, marked by increasing violence and rights violations, adds to our already immense task: denouncing government abuses and reinforcing the transmission of memory to ensure "Nunca Más".

In this context, in November, alongside other human rights organizations and with the support of a diverse collective of civil society representatives, we participated as petitioners in a significant hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). This hearing addressed the policies of Memory, Truth, and Justice under the current government. There, we denounced the setbacks in this area and requested the Commission’s intervention. From the Casa por la Identidad, located in the former clandestine detention center ESMA, we also joined the hearing with other organizations, unions, students, and various members of civil society whose rights are under attack.

Additionally, we urged the convening of the Commission on Petitions, Powers, and Regulations to express our condemnation and demand an investigation after learning that government lawmakers had visited convicted perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Ezeiza Prison.

In our pursuit of justice, we recently became plaintiffs in three new trials for crimes against humanity involving our children and grandchildren: one in Mar del Plata, another concerning the repressive circuit in the western region of Buenos Aires and the last for the or the appropriation of one of our grandchildren.

Moreover, we find it essential to double our efforts to convey the memory of the genocide in the face of the denialism promoted by the ruling party. We must tell what happened to ensure it is never repeated. Our grandchildren continue to give talks at schools and institutions, and our training initiatives have already materialized in various courses delivered by Abuelas' technical teams to union members. Furthermore, more than 300 people nationwide are participating in the free virtual course “Las Abuelas y el Derecho a la Identidad,” designed to share the institution’s history of struggle and highlight the value of the right to identity.

Regarding outreach, we continue to publish our monthly institutional newsletter and other materials to shed light on our search. We also organized the “Cine por la Identidad” series, followed by discussions with the films' protagonists, opened our doors for “Noche de los Museos,” and hosted live radio broadcasts from Futurock and Radio con Vos at the Casa por la Identidad, among other activities.

In October, we commemorated the institution’s 47th anniversary with an event at the Teatro Argentino in La Plata, attended by nearly 2,000 people. Through videos, we reflected on the year’s milestones, achievements made possible thanks to the support of society and organizations committed to our cause. The evening also featured three musical performances and a humorous sketch to brighten the occasion.

Your support allows us to sustain these efforts and many more. These are times of struggle and resistance that demand collective commitment, and we know we can count on your help. Abuelas wants to thank you for your shared dedication and generosity toward our cause, and wish you a happy new year.

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Aug 15, 2024
Your support helps us face new challenges

By Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo | Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo

The art and music festival "Risas y Abrazos"

The search for our grandchildren, who were victims of forced disappearance during the Argentine military dictatorship, is urgent. The political and social context in the country is very adverse and presents significant challenges to our struggle. Today, advocating for human rights requires a variety of actions to influence the public agenda.

With your support, we can continue our daily activities and enhance specific efforts related to conveying the principles of Memory, Truth and Justice to all generations.

In recent months, Abuelas' technical teams have been developing various training courses on topics such as the right to identity, the transmission of memory, and the pursuit of justice. We have already established agreements with three unions to offer these courses and we are in discussions with additional unions and municipalities to further reinforce our efforts against the tides of denial, and strengthen the Memory.

At the Casa por la Identidad of the Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos, the former ESMA clandestine detention center, we continue to organize guided visits for schools, institutions, embassies and individuals to convey the message of “Nunca Más”. Additionally, during the winter holidays we conducted free activities for all ages, including: an “editathon” with Wikimedia to improve articles about Abuelas; the “Cine por la Identidad” film series, featuring discussions with the protagonists; and the art and music festival “Risas y Abrazos”, for children and their families.

Regarding Justice, we have initiated the complaint in a new trial for crimes against humanity committed at the Comisaría 5ta, a former clandestine detention center in the city of La Plata. This trial involves victims including children abducted with their mothers, those born in captivity, and pregnant women whose children we are still seeking.

Furthermore, we have made several presentations to legislators to safeguard public policies related to the right to identity, which have been jeopardized by the so-called “Bases Law”. We have also submitted an international request to denounce the government’s extensive assault on the consensus and public policies established over the past 40 years of democracy.

These are difficult times, but your support enables us to continue these and other vital actions. For this reason, Abuelas extends our deepest gratitude for your generosity and support.

The art and music festival "Risas y Abrazos"

We defend human rights against denialism

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Apr 19, 2024
Your solidarity makes the difference

By Press Area | Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo

Workshop "Memoria Si" at Casa por la Identidad

At Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, we continue tirelessly defending the right to identity, searching for the 300 grandchildren illegally seized during the last dictatorship in Argentina, and promoting everlasting Memory, Truth, and Justice.

With your help, in the past months we have managed to sustain our daily tasks. For the commemoration of the 48th anniversary of the begining of the last dictatorship in Argentina we’ve designed and implemented the campaign “Memoria Sí”, in which schools, clubs, institutions and labor unions participated, with the intention of giving visibility to the past and current struggles faced. For this action, in addition to spreading awareness through various platforms on social media, we hosted a well-attended workshop at the Casa por la Identidad of the Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos (formerly the ESMA, a clandestine detention center) and another at CELS, in which we painted headscarfs, a collective symbol worn by the Abuelas. On the 24th of March, thousands of people gathered at the Plaza de Mayo with their headscarfs, marching to give an account to memory.

Throughout the demonstration, we also carried out an awareness campaign among the public, to distribute our monthly newsletter and discuss with demonstrators about the urgency of the search for the missing grandchildren and the need to sustain human rights policies.

In addition, in these months we were able to achieve Truth and Justice, from the sentencing in two trials for crimes against humanity in which we were plaintiffs: one for the appropriation of our granddaughter Victoria Donda, which culminated in a 15-year sentence, and another for the crimes committed against 610 victims, including 23 pregnant women and 10 of our grandchildren, in three clandestine detention centers. This trial, known as Los Pozos, concluded with 11 genocidaires sentenced: one with 25 years in prison, and ten to life imprisonment.

Your solidarity and support for our cause allows us to sustain these and other actions, such as lectures in schools and the publication of materials. That is why, at Abuelas we want to keep you up to date always and humbly thank you again for your generosity.

Headscarfs, a collective symbol worn by Abuelas

We were able to achieve Justice in two trials

We march on the anniversary of the dictatorship

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