- Title: ARGENTINA: Grandmothers march as 'Dirty War' trials continue
- Date: 11th December 2010
- Summary: GRANDMOTHERS MARCHING
- Embargoed: 26th December 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Argentina, Argentina
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVACRT0JSXEKQ9JGYFF4707FNVH8
- Story Text: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a group of women who lost their children during Argentina's 'Dirty War' (1976-1983), marched in Buenos Aires on Thursday (December 9) amid a glimmer of hope after over three decades of struggle.
The women starting walking around a monument in Argentine outside the government house in the early days of the dictatorship, silently demanding news about their children who were disappearing without a trace.
Official figures say 11,000 people disappeared but human rights groups say the number is closer to 30,000, and the Grandmothers have continued their struggle since democracy returned in 1983.
In the past years, the government run by late former president Nestor Kirchner and his wife, current President Cristina Fernandez, have lifted pardons on military heads and the military leaders accused of ordering the torturing and killing of thousands are now on trial.
One of the grandmothers, Tati Almeida, said the trials have lightened the mood of the long-suffering women.
"Sincerely, I didn't think we would be living these wonderful times, sharing these historic days and seeing the people who committed suicide sitting in court. We've been demanding justice for years, justice in the courts, not justice by our own hand. And now here we are. The trials have to go a little quicker. We are dying and they are dying. They have sit down and look at the faces of their victims and the relatives of the people they massacred, but we are getting there," she said.
She added new people were joining in the movement.
"In this new march the nice thing is that there are people we don't know. They are not the same people as always. That means there are people who realizing that what we crazy women have been saying for so long is true. It's true what we criticize and demand," she added.
The Grandmothers are now mostly dedicated to recovering children stolen from victims of the dictatorship and placed in homes of military-rule supporters. At the last count, they had recovered 102 children - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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