The white shawl of the Mothers, painted on the ground in Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires.

The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Spanish: Asociación Madres de Plaza de Mayo) is an association of Argentine mothers whose children "disappeared" during the Dirty War, the military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983. Image File history File linksMetadata Madres_de_Plaza_de_Mayo_(1). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Madres_de_Plaza_de_Mayo_(1). ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... Mom and Mommy redirect here. ... Disappear redirects here. ... Poster by the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo NGO with photos of disappeared. This article especially refers to the Argentine dirty war; however, the term has been used in other contexts, for example in Morocco; see also lead years. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

Origins of the movement

The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo is a unique organization of Argentine women who have become human rights activists in order to achieve a common goal. For over three decades, the Mothers have fought for the right to re-unite with their abducted children.

In protests, they wear white scarves to symbolize the white dove of peace. The name of the organizations comes from the Plaza de Mayo in central Buenos Aires, where the bereaved mothers and grandmothers first gathered. They gather every Thursday afternoon for a half hour walk around the plaza. Overview of Plaza de Mayo The Plaza de Mayo (Spanish: May Square) is the main square in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina; it is flanked by Hipólito Yrigoyen, Balcarce, Rivadavia and Bolívar streets. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ...

The Mothers' association was formed by women who had met each other in the course of trying to find their missing sons and daughters, who were abducted by agents of the Argentine government during the years known as the Dirty War (1976–1983), many of whom were then tortured and killed. The 14 founders of the association, Azucena Villaflor de De Vincenti, Berta Braverman, Haydée García Buelas, María Adela Gard de Antokoletz, Julia Gard, María Mercedes Gard and Cándida Gard (4 sisters), Delicia González, Pepa Noia, Mirta Baravalle, Kety Neuhaus, Raquel Arcushin, Sra. De Caimi, started the demonstrations on the Plaza de Mayo, in front of the Casa Rosada presidential palace, on 30 April 1977. Villaflor had been searching for one of her sons and her daughter-in-law for six months. She was taken to the ESMA concentration camp on 10 December 1978. Poster by the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo NGO with photos of disappeared. This article especially refers to the Argentine dirty war; however, the term has been used in other contexts, for example in Morocco; see also lead years. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Azucena Villaflor (7 April 1924 â€“ December 1977?) was an Argentine social activist, one of the founders of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo human rights association, who look for desaparecidos (victims of forced disappearance during the Dirty War). ... The Casa Rosada La Casa Rosada (Spanish for the Pink House), officially known as the Casa de Gobierno (Government House), is the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ... is the 344th day of the year (345th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

The military have admitted that over 9,000 of those kidnapped are still unaccounted for, but the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo say that the number is closer to 30,000. The numbers are hard to determine due to the secrecy surrounding the abductions.Three of the founders of the mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have also "disappeared". After the fall of the military regime, a civilian government commission put the number of disappeared at close to 11,000.

In January 2005 the body of French nun Leonie Duquet, a supporter of the organization, was exhumed, without an established identity. Duquet's disappearance had caused international outrage towards the Argentine military government. DNA tests concluded, on August 30 of that year, that the body exhumed in January was that of Duquet. For other uses, see Cadaver (disambiguation). ... Leonie Duquet (1916-1977) was a French nun who was killed by the military regime of Argentine President Jorge Rafael Videla. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Azucena Villaflor's remains, together with those of two other pioneer Mothers, Esther Careaga and María Eugenia Bianco, were also identified by a forensics team in mid-2005. Villaflor's ashes were buried at the foot of the May Pyramid in the Plaza on 8 December 2005. is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Divisions and radicalization

The mothers with President Néstor Kirchner.

In later years, the association grew and became more persistent, demanding answers from the government as to where their missing children were. After the military gave up its authority to a civilian government in 1983, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have pressed the new government to help find answers to the kidnappings that took place in the Dirty War years. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x754, 194 KB) Descripción: Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo junto a Néstor Kirchner, presidente de Argentina. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x754, 194 KB) Descripción: Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo junto a Néstor Kirchner, presidente de Argentina. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 1986, the Mothers association split into two factions. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo – Founding Line focuses on legislation to help in recovering remains and bringing ex-officials to justice.

In the course of their struggle, most part of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo began to see themselves as inheritors of their children's dreams and responsible for carrying forward their children's work, even to the adopting the radical agenda embraced by some of their disappeared sons and daughters. As a result, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Association faction led by Hebe de Bonafini takes a more political approach. This group does not doubt the fact that their children disappeared, and they are aware that the majority of them faced torture and most of them were ultimately murdered. Nevertheless, they are refusing any help offered by the government as compensation for their children's absence. Many still maintain that they will not recognize the deaths until the government admits its fault and its connection to the dirty war and its systematically forced disappearances. Hebe de Bonafini was born in Argentina in 1928. ...

A scholar of the movement, Marguerite Guzman Bouvard, wrote that the association faction wants "a complete transformation of Argentine political culture" and "envisions a socialist system free of the domination of special interests." The Mothers association is backed by younger militants who openly support a Cuban-style revolution in Argentina. On the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bonafini defended the actions of the airline hijackers calling them "courageous", stating that many people "had been avenged", and connecting their ideals with the cause of the guerrilla groups in 1970s' Argentina. [3]. Speaking for the Mothers, she also rejected the investigations of the alleged Iranian involvement in the AMIA Bombing (the 1994 terrorist attack on the AMIA Jewish community center), denouncing the Argentine government was manipulating them to serve U.S. interests. [4]. The Mothers have published a book^[1] with a compilation of Saddam Hussein's writings, among others forms of support to the Baathist regime in Iraq [5][6] A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... The AMIA Bombing was an attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, or AMIA) building in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, that killed 85 people. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... Baath Party flag The Ba‘ath Parties (also spelled Baath or Ba‘th; Arabic: اﻟﺒﻌﺚ) comprise political parties representing the political face of the Ba‘ath movement. ...

Final Resistance´s March

On 26 January 2006, members of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo Association made their final annual March of Resistance around the Plaza de Mayo, saying no more such marches are needed because they do not perceive the current government as hostile or indifferent to the fate of the Dirty War missing. Their weekly Thursday marches will continue, however, in pursuit of action on other social causes. And the Founding Line faction will continue both the Thursday marches and the annual marches. Today, despite having faced a crippled economy, Argentina is considered the 3rd most democratic country in Latin America (Lagos, 134). Argentina is an excellent example of how peaceful activism can bring about a democracy and change the course of history. is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Support of leftist guerrillas

On a speech on December 3, 2007, Hebe de Bonafini said "We are brothers of the FARC". FARC is a leftist guerrilla group that, for the last 40 years, has tried to stage an overthrow of the government in Colombia, financed by drug traficking, tortures and kidnapping. During the same speech, she blamed the government of Colombia and its president, Alvaro Uribe, for the difficulties in the Humanitarian exchange affair^[2]. The group has been branded as a terrorist group by the US state department^[3] and the European Union. The group has been accused by Amnesty International of underage recruiting^[4]. Underage teenage girls are forcibly used for combat against Colombian security forces and to give sexual favors to the on-ground commanders. When pregnant, most of them are forced to abort by chemical or mechanical ways. If they keep the pregnancy, the child is taken away months after birth. Many of them end up in Colombian child-welfare system^[5]. The FARC-EPs flag The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – Peoples Army, or FARC-EP) is a militant and revolutionary guerrilla group established in 1964-1966 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, and is Colombias... The FARC-EPs flag The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – Peoples Army, or FARC-EP) is a militant and revolutionary guerrilla group established in 1964-1966 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, and is Colombias... lvaro Uribe V lez (born July 4, 1952) is the President of Colombia (since 2002). ... Colombian protesters against kidnappings and military rescue operations of FARC hostages. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amnesty international Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization which defines its mission as to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience...

U2

The cause of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo was immortalized in the U2 song Mothers of the Disappeared. At a concert in Buenos Aires in 1998, the Mothers appeared on stage with U2 to announce their children's names to the crowd as the song was performed. This article is about the Irish rock band. ... Mothers of the Disappeared is a song on U2s 1987 album The Joshua Tree. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

The Grandmothers

Main article: Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo

The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Spanish: Asociación Civil Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo) is a organization who has the aim of finding the stolen babies during the "Dirty War". Its president is Estela B. de Carlotto. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Spanish: Asociación Madres de Plaza de Mayo) is an association of Argentine mothers whose children were disappeared under the military dictatorship of the 1970s. ...

Awards and prizes

• In 1992, all members of the Mothers' association were awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
• In 1999, the organization was awarded the United Nations Prize for Peace Education.
• On 10 December 2003, the Grandmothers' president, Estela Barnes de Carlotto, was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1985 by the European Parliament as a means to honour individuals or organizations who had dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedoms. ... The UNESCO Prize for Peace Education has been awarded annually since 1981. ... The United Nations Prizes in the Field of Human Rights were instituted by a United Nations General Assembly resolution in 1966. ...

Cultural References

In 2008, an opera entitled Las Madres de la Plaza premiered in Leffler Chapel at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, telling the story of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. It was written by a collaboration of students, staff, and faculty of the school, headed up by James Haines and John Rohrkemper. Elizabethtown College is a small liberal-arts college located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania in Lancaster County. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

References

Further reading

• Mothers of the Disappeared, by Jo Fisher (1990).
• Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, by Marguerite Guzman Bouvard (1994).
• Circle of Love Over Death: Testimonies of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, by Matilde Mellibovsky, trans. by Maria & Matthew Proser (1997).
• Searching for Life: The Grandmothers of the Plaza De Mayo and the Disappeared Children of Argentina, by Rita Arditti (1999).
• Página/12, 9 December 2005. Las cenizas de Azucena, junto a la Pirámide (Spanish).

"Latin America's Smiling Mask." Journal of Democracy by Marta Lagos.

See also

• The Official Story, a movie related to the "stolen babies" case
• Maria Eugenia Sampallo
• Women in Black
• Black Sash
• Tiananmen Mothers
• Films depicting Latin American military dictatorships

The Official Story (Spanish: La Historia Oficial) is a 1985 Argentinean film directed by Luis Puenzo and written by Puenzo and Aída Bortnik. ... Women in Black is a world wide organization of women, committed to non - violence and non agression, both as a goal and as a means. ... The Black Sash was a non-violent white womens resistance organisation founded in 1955 in South Africa by Jean Sinclair. ... The Tiananmen Mothers is a group of Chinese democracy activists promoting a change in the governments position over the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. ... This is a list of movies that, in one way or another, are closely related to the military dictatorships in Latin America that appeared during the context of the Cold War. ...

External links

• (Spanish) Asociación Madres de Plaza de Mayo
• (Spanish) Madres de Plaza de Mayo – Línea Fundadora
• (English) Asociación Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo
• (Spanish) Proyecto Desaparecidos