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| Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo—Founding Line | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo—Founding Line |
| Native name | Madres de Plaza de Mayo—Línea Fundadora |
| Formation | 1977 |
| Founders | Azucena Villaflor; Hebe de Bonafini; Taty Almeida; Nora Cortiñas; Remo Delogu |
| Founding location | Plaza de Mayo |
| Purpose | Human rights advocacy; search for desaparecidos; memory preservation |
| Region served | Argentina |
| Membership | Former and current relatives of the disappeared |
Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo—Founding Line is the faction of the Argentine human rights organization that emerged from the original Mothers' movement during the late 1970s. Formed amid disappearances and state repression during the National Reorganization Process, the Founding Line organized public demonstrations, legal claims, and international advocacy to demand truth and justice for the desaparecidos. The group became distinct after internal disputes, aligning with a more institutional and rights-focused strategy while maintaining links to other civil society actors such as Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, CELS, and Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas.
The origins trace to grassroots gatherings in Plaza de Mayo beginning in 1977 following the disappearances attributed to the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance and the Argentine Navy, with families influenced by earlier mobilizations like those of Madres de Plaza de Mayo (linea fundadora) and inspired by international examples including Mujeres de Negro and Amnesty International. Initial founders included relatives of detainees from clandestine centers such as ESMA, Campo de Mayo, and Cazan. The movement intersected with actors from Unidad Básica, labor organizations including CGT, and political figures sympathetic to human rights like Raúl Alfonsín during the transition to democracy in 1983.
Prominent founding figures associated with the Founding Line included activists such as Azucena Villaflor, Hebe de Bonafini (early but later aligned with a different faction), Nora Cortiñas, Taty Almeida, and others linked to unions like Suteba and student groups from Universidad de Buenos Aires. Leadership emerged through collective assemblies involving members connected to trials in Jujuy and inquiries by commissions such as the Juicio a las Juntas. Allies included jurists and politicians from Partido Radical and human rights lawyers like Fabián H. Dillman and groups such as Servicio Paz y Justicia which provided legal and organizational support.
The Founding Line is known for weekly vigils and marches around Casa Rosada in Plaza de Mayo, carrying symbolic white headscarves inspired by traditional garments and interventions in public spaces including the Obelisco de Buenos Aires. They staged acts during anniversaries of the Dirty War and during national holidays, coordinated with organizations like Familiares de Desaparecidos and international NGOs including Human Rights Watch and International Committee of the Red Cross. Demonstrations often targeted institutions such as the Junta Military, the Supreme Court of Argentina, and legislative bodies like the Argentine Chamber of Deputies to demand exhumations, DNA identifications linked to CONICET and Instituto Nacional de Genética, and repeal of amnesty laws like the Full Stop Law and Due Obedience Law.
Differences over institutional partnerships, financial transparency, and political alignments prompted a schism between the Founding Line and other sectors such as the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo—Association of the Plaza de Mayo. The Founding Line positioned itself with a focus on judicial processes exemplified by participation in trials against former officers from Batallón 601 and commanders implicated in Operativo Independencia. The split involved disputes with leaders identified with direct negotiations with presidential administrations including Carlos Menem and later interactions with Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner administrations. The Founding Line prioritized cooperation with legal institutions like the Procuración General and international tribunals.
The Founding Line engaged in strategic litigation before national courts and international bodies such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, collaborating with forensic programs from Universidad Nacional de La Plata and agencies like INTERPOL for identification of remains. They contributed testimonies to inquiries leading to verdicts in trials against figures like Jorge Rafael Videla and Emilio Massera, and advocated for annulment of impunity instruments championed by legislatures tied to the Military Junta. The group cultivated ties with global actors including United Nations rapporteurs, European parliaments, and delegations from Amnesty International to pressure for truth commissions and reparations.
The Founding Line helped shape transitional justice in Argentina by influencing the Trial of the Juntas and later genocide and crimes against humanity prosecutions, while contributing to the establishment of memory sites such as the Parque de la Memoria. Critics accused the group and rival factions of politicization, disputes over funds involving international donors, and contestation with other NGOs such as Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales over strategy. Controversies included debates about engagement with political parties like Frente para la Victoria, disagreements over commemorative narratives vis-à-vis institutions like the Museo Sitio de Memoria ESMA, and tensions with international human rights observers.
The Founding Line's legacy endures through scholarship at institutions like Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, artistic representations in films such as those by Pablo Trapero and exhibitions featuring works by Leopoldo Torre Nilsson-era retrospectives, literature by authors referencing the Madres including Osvaldo Bayer and Luisa Valenzuela, and commemorative practices in plazas and museums. Their image appears in documentaries screened at festivals like Mar del Plata International Film Festival and in academic studies from centers including CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. The group's ongoing activism informs comparative transitional justice debates in contexts such as Chile, Spain, and South Africa, and remains central to Argentina’s public memory and human rights institutions.
Category:Human rights in Argentina Category:Organizations established in 1977