MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina: Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo find Granddaughter Nº139

Carlotto highlighted the importance of the collective struggle to find the children of those abducted by the dictatorship who are still listed as “missing”

The human rights organization Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo announced Tuesday in Buenos Aires the finding of “Granddaughter Nº139.” The entity seeks to determine the true identity of children born in captivity from prisoners who were later declared as “disappeared” by the military dictatorship, their offspring handed over for adoption to families ideologically compatible with the far-right de facto regime.

Upon making the announcement, Grandmothers' President Estela De Carlotto highlighted that “inexorably, the truth about the crimes” of the last military dictatorship “continues to come to light.”

“Grandaughter #139” is the child of Marxist-Leninist Communist Party militants Noemí Beatriz Macedo and Daniel Alfredo Inama who were both abducted “on November 2, 1977,” Carlotto explained. The child was born “between January and February 1978,” she added.

“It is not clear if she was kidnapped in La Plata or in the same operation as him in the city of Buenos Aires, in Barrio Norte. She was 6 or 7 months pregnant,” Carlotto also pointed out. Both parents are still listed as “missing.”

“Daniel's mother spent her whole life in La Plata and passed away in 2013. But she never stopped looking for her grandson or granddaughter. Inexorably, the truth about the crimes continues to come to light,” the human rights leader also noted.

“Once again, we must stress that we could not have achieved anything alone. This is a collective struggle, the continuity of State policies is fundamental to putting an end to crimes against humanity such as the appropriation of our granddaughters and grandsons, as well as the central role of the Secretary of Human Rights, which is one of the tools built in these 41 years of uninterrupted democracy,” she went on while insisting that her organization must be “supported by the Government with all its workers and maintain its instruments to be able to continue with the process of Memory, Truth, and Justice, which has made us an example in the world.”

She made those remarks as the Libertarian administration of President Javier Milei announced its willingness to defund them and close down all government agencies regarding these issues.

Ramón Inama, brother of the recovered granddaughter, said that this is “an act of justice and a reparation that will no longer be uncertainty. Because Noemí and Daniel wanted her, they loved her,” he said while criticizing politicians adhering to Milei's policies in this regard.

Meanwhile, Madres de Plaza de Mayo-Línea Fundadora leader Taty Almeida questioned Vice President Victoria Villarruel and her “denialist friends.”

“We will continue searching and granddaughters and grandsons will continue appearing,” she also pointed out while warning Milei about the consequences of his initiatives.

In December 2024, Grandmothers found “Grandson #138,” the son of Marta Enriqueta Pourtalé and Juan Carlos Villamayor, who were both kidnapped in 1976 and are still missing.

Tuesday's announcement was held at the auditorium of the House for Identity of the Memory and Human Rights Space, at the former ESMA clandestine detention center.