The President of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Association, Hebe de Bonafini, died on Sunday in La Plata (Argentina) at the age of 93. Bonafini devoted a large part of his life to searching for his two sons, who disappeared during the military dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla (1976-1983).
Bonafini began his political activity during the dictatorship and founded the Madres de Plaza de Mayo Association in 1979. Made up of mothers who had lost children during Argentine repression, this organization sought to recover stolen children and prosecute those guilty of crimes. .
Bonafini was accused of inciting mass violence and assaulting public order for organizing the Mothers’ Resistance Marches, a series of demonstrations held in Argentina annually to demand justice for disappeared children.
As a leader of the Mothers, Bonafini traveled the United States and Europe to denounce what was happening in his country. Outside of Argentina, he has received numerous awards and honors and his association has been a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
After his death, the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, decreed three days of national mourning.
Videla dictatorship
General Jorge Rafael Videla came to power through a coup d’état in 1976 and ruled Argentina until 1981. Under his regime, thousands of enforced disappearances, killings of civilians, and even burning of ideological books contrary to the dictatorship took place in the country.
Videla’s dictatorship was marked by the implementation of a plan to exterminate thousands of citizens who opposed the regime. Most of the victims were students, workers, trade unionists, teachers and political activists. According to human rights organizations, about 30,000 people disappeared during this period.
During the process of national reorganization (the name officially received by the dictatorship), Videla enlisted the support of various countries to stay in power. With the help of the United States, Argentina fought to prevent the spread of communism in the Americas.
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo was born precisely in the context of the Videla dictatorship. In April 1977, a group of women began gathering in a Buenos Aires city square, demanding justice for their disappeared children. The association continued its political activity even when democracy came to Argentina.
Argentine history
Argentina suffered from Spanish colonization from the sixteenth century. Europeans first reached present-day Argentine lands in 1516, with Juan Diaz de Solís’ journey across the Rio de la Plata. It was not until 1527 that the first Spanish settlement was established in present-day Argentine territory.
Three centuries later, the May Revolution of 1810 occurred, when some Argentine provinces began declaring their independence. However, it took another ten years for Argentina to become a fully independent nation and state.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, the country experienced several internal political conflicts and wars with other neighboring countries. Since 1930 there have been several coups d’état which prevented Argentina from being a democratic country and between the 1960s and 1970s there were several periods of dictatorship. Among them, the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla between 1976 and 1981.
In October 1983, the country returned to democracy with the holding of elections. After the arrival of the democratic period, Videla was denounced for the violation of human rights. In 1985, the dictator was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment and absolute disqualification for his direct participation in serious crimes committed during the dictatorship.
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