Argentina: “May Square Grandmas” Found 139th Stolen Child of Vidella dictatorship · Global Voices

The “Grandmothers of May Square” made it their wonder again! They announced on Tuesday (21.01.2025) that “the granddaughter number 139” was identified, one of the hundreds of children of political prisoners who were stolen during Jorge Vidella’s 70s and ’80s. The “child”, currently 47 or 48, was born “around January to February 1978” in Argentina, during the period of dictator Vidella. CORVERSE She is the daughter of Noemi Beatrice Masedo and Daniel Alfredo Inama, Marxist-Leninist militants kidnapped in November 1977, the one from La Plata, he probably from Buenos Aires. Since then, 48 years later, their tracks are missing, the president of the “Grandmothers”, Estella de Carloto, said at a press conference Tuesday. ‘Welcome, granddaughter number 139 (…) The truth about dictatorship’s crimes is still coming out into the light,” he added. The interview was given at Buenos Aires Memorial Area, where the hellhole of the Naval High School of Engineering (ESMA), where prisoners were tortured. ADVERSE “Grandmothers”, as usual, did not reveal the name of “child 139”. It is up to her to do so if she wishes. But her identity was confirmed by a DNA test. He has two biological brothers, one of whom, Ramon, was present at the press conference. The organization, which has been searching for “the stolen children” to date, contacted the woman and explained that investigations suggest that she may have been “abducted”. She accepted an exam and the result came out yesterday. In late December the “Grandmothers” revealed that another child was found, the son of a couple of Left fighters who disappeared in 1976. In the period of dictatorship, several hundred children (at least 300, according to estimates) were “spolen” by their parents, after being born when their mothers were detained. They were often given to families who could not have children and were politically adjacent to the regime. According to estimates by “Grandmothers”, an organization fighting for human rights, about 30,000 people were killed or disappeared during the dictatorship. This figure is however disputed by ultra-liberal President Javier Millei, who spoke of fewer than 9,000, citing the National Committee’s “official” list of Persons Disappearing (Conadep). This Commission had drawn up a provisional list of 8,961 missing persons in 1983-1984.