MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo find Grandson #140

Grandchild number 140 is from a Cutral Co (Neuquén) family, the son of Graciela Alicia Romero and Raúl Eugenio Metz

The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo human rights organization announced Monday the finding of the 140th grandchild, born to people kidnapped and disappeared under Argentina's military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983.

The son of Graciela Alicia Romero and Raúl Eugenio Metz marked the third such restitution of identity since Javier Milei took office, despite his government's cuts to human rights organizations.

The couple was kidnapped on Dec. 16, 1976, in the province of Neuquén, when Graciela was five months pregnant. They were held in clandestine detention centers, including “La Escuelita” in Neuquén and then Bahía Blanca, where Graciela gave birth to a boy on April 17, 1977.

The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo held a press conference at the Casa por la Identidad at the former Navy Mechanics School (ESMA) detention center to release details about this new finding.

The Grandmothers also highlighted recent challenges under President Milei's administration, including the intervention in the National Genetic Data Bank, which led to a court order protecting stored samples, and the dismantling of Conadi, a key unit investigating stolen baby cases from the dictatorship.

Despite these challenges, public interest in the Grandmothers' work has surged, with a 300% increase in inquiries in May, largely attributed to the premiere of the Netflix series “El Eternauta.” Grandmothers' Executive Committee member Belén Altamiranda Taranto said that after the April 30 release of the film production, “there was a revolution.”

“Identity always blossoms,” the Grandmothers insisted Monday amid funding cuts to human rights organizations. In December 2024, the organization found grandchild number 138, the son of Marta Enriqueta Pourtalé and Juan Carlos Villamayor. Less than a month later, granddaughter number 139 arrived, the daughter of Noemí Macedo and Daniel Inama, who were kidnapped on November 2, 1977.

“With the return of our 140th grandchild, we confirm, once again, that our grandchildren are among us. We will find them thanks to the work we have been doing for 47 years,” Grandmothers' President Estela de Carlotto pointed out.