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9th IHLD Impunity Watch Essay Winner
Argentinian Abuelas work to find “Stolen Children”
By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The Argentinian organization Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo) have found their 117th grandchild. DNA testing confirmed the identification of the daughter of Walter Dominguez and Gladys Castro, who was born in police custody in 1978. The couple had been arrested in the dead of night when Gladys was six months pregnant.
The child was given to civilians with close ties to the military. There were reports of a child “mysteriously appearing” in the home of the couple at the height of the dictatorship.
The woman is one of the “stolen children”, who were taken from their parents (usually communists and other dissidents) during Argentina’s “Dirty War.” During the period from 1976 to 1983, as many as 30,000 people were “disappeared” by the military dictatorship.
Many of the children taken were born to parents while they were imprisoned or disappeared. A number of the children were born after their mothers were raped in prison.
After the children were taken, they were adopted by military families, members of the police forces and wealthy families that supported the dictatorship. The policy was part of the official “Process of National Reorganization.”
It is thought that over 400 children were taken from their parents during the implementation of the policy.
The Abuelas were founded in 1977 by a group of grandmothers searching for their stolen grandchildren and they are well respected for their work and determination in Argentina. They work to identify children by combing through adoption records and tracking families who suddenly adopted a child during the dictatorship. Much of their success is due to their work with Mary-Claire King, an American geneticist. King uses mitochondrial DNA, which is passed on by the mother, to match missing children to maternal grandmothers in situations where the mother is no longer living.
For more information, please see:
BBC – Argentina ‘stolen child’ abducted in 1978 found – 1 September 2015
UPI – Child stolen during Argentina’s military dictatorship found – 1 September 2015
Smithsonian – Argentina Grandmothers are using DNA to track down stolen children – 3 September 2015
Syria Deeply: Weekly Update September 4, 2015
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Syrian Arab Republic – Ministry of Culture: Satellite Imagery of Six Tower Tombs in Palmyra Destroyed by ISIS
Curtesy of The Syria Arab Republic- Ministry of Culture Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums
September 4, 2015
The American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), located in Boston University, published an update last night on the situation in Palmyra, which included satellite imagery showing 6 tower tombs in Palmyra, destroyed completely, by the terrorist militants of ISIS.Those imagery shots and their comparisons are the following:
The Tomb of Elahbel:
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| Visible damage (September 2, 2015) |
No visible damage (August 27, 2015) |
No visible damage (June 26, 2015) |
The Tomb of Iamliku and 2 Other Tombs:
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| Visible damage to 2 other tombs (September 2, 2015) |
Visible damage to the Tomb of Iamliku (August 27, 2015) |
No visible damage (June 26, 2015) |
The Tomb of Atenatan:
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| Visible damage (August 27, 2015) |
No visible damage (June 26, 2015) |
The Tomb of Kithôt:
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| Visible damage (September 2, 2015) |
No visible damage (June 26, 2015) |
This set of satellite imagery comes to confirm information transferred to DGAM about the destruction of 3 tower tombs, as follows:
- Tomb of Iamliku, built in 83 AD, in a very good preservation condition.
- 5-storey Tomb of Elahbel, built in 103 AD, in a very good preservation condition.
- Tomb of Kithôt, built in 44 AD.
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| Tower Tomb of Iamliku (archive) |
Tower Tomb of Elahbel (archive) |
Tower Tomb of Atenatan (archive) |
Tower Tomb of Kithôt (archive) |