MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mothers of Plaza de Mayo leader Nora Cortiñas dies aged 94

Cortiñas also supported the identification of Argentine combatants fallen during the 1982 South Atlantic war, among other causes

Mothers of Plaza de Mayo (Founding Line) President Nora Cortiñas died Thursday in Morón, on the western outskirts of Buenos Aires, from complications resulting from a hernia surgery she had undergone days earlier. The iconic human rights activist was 94.

 “Norita had undergone surgery last May 17 at the Morón Hospital for a hernia that was added to other pathologies that aggravated her condition,” her family said in a statement.

Cortiñas began her path as a prominent leader in the struggle for human rights when she joined Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, following the abduction of her son Gustavo Cortiñas on April 15, 1977, during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship.

“Her special sensitivity and her undisputed ideology in defense of those who have the least made her earn the unconditional respect and affection of the people,” the family's release went on.

“We want to convey that Nora was accompanied and supported by the love of her family until the last moment, and we are grateful for all the expressions of recognition and affection that she received throughout her life, and that we were lovingly embraced in these difficult days,” it added.

Born on March 22, 1930, Nora was “deeply concerned in these times due to the serious situation our country is going through and always ready to be present wherever there was an injustice,” the family also said.

“We are proud to have shared her life, her imprint, and her teachings that will leave an indelible mark on her family and society. Norita Cortiñas, present! Now and forever.”

In addition to her human rights activism, Cortiñas was known for supporting the decriminalization of abortion, the non-payment of foreign debt, the protection of native peoples, and the identification of Argentine combatants fallen during the 1982 South Atlantic war and buried at the Darwin Cemetery on the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, and the Argentine Committee of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Gustavo Cortiñas was a civil servant working for Argentina's National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec) about to turn 25 when he was abducted. He was also a militant of the Peronist Youth (JP) group living in a humble neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

“In my home, on April 15, 1977, a tsunami happened, it touched us all,” she said in 2019 when presenting her biography “Norita, the mother of all battles.”

In 1986 she spearheaded a movement within the Mothers to split from the most radicalized sector led by Hebe de Bonafini, who passed away in 2022.