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.

Grandmothers hold pictures of their “disappeared” children, the parents of Grandchild #117. (Photo courtesy of UPI)

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

TeleSur – Argentina’s Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo Identify Grandchild Number 117 – 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

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you on-the-ground reporting and valuable analysis.

Syrian Chef Finds Unlikely Fame and Love in Gaza Strip

When Wareef Kaseem Hamdeo fled from Aleppo back in 2012, he never imagined that he would end up in the besieged Gaza Strip. Yet, after a series of unexpected life turns, he found himself in another war zone. Eventually he achieved local fame after opening a Syrian restaurant that has become a hit with Palestinians. Syria Deeply met him at Syriana, his new restaurant, in Gaza City.

Palestinians in Yarmouk Enduring Typhoid Outbreak

The Yarmouk refugee camp – situated in southern Damascus – has been hit by a typhoid outbreak that has affected dozens of Palestinian refugees from the local population. After years of siege by the Syrian government and a recent attack by ISIS, residents told Syria Deeply that they are dying slowly as the international community fails to stop the ongoing killing in Syria.

‘Door to Hell’ Opened in Syria as Chemical Weapons Attacks Suspected

ISIS militants have been accused of using a chemical weapon during a recent attack on the Aleppo-area town of Marea, where victims displayed symptoms consistent with the use of mustard gas. Syria Deeply spoke to Médecins Sans Frontières about allegations of chemical weapons use and the broader condition for medical workers as the bloodshed presses on in Syria.

More recent stories to look out for at Syria Deeply:

Find our new reporting and analysis every weekday at www.syriadeeply.org. You can reach our team with any comments or suggestions at info@newsdeeply.org.

Image credits: Top photo courtesy of Suwar Magazine. Photo of Wareef Kaseem Hamdeo courtesy of Lara Abu Ramadan. Photo of Yarmouk refugee camp courtesy of Associated Press/UNRWA. The photo of militants overlooking a crowd by Manu Brabo/Associated Press.

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:

 

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:

 

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:

 

Visible damage
(August 27, 2015)		 No visible damage
(June 26, 2015)

The Tomb of Kithôt:

 

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:

  1. Tomb of Iamliku, built in 83 AD, in a very good preservation condition.
  2. 5-storey Tomb of Elahbel, built in 103 AD, in a very good preservation condition.
  3. Tomb of Kithôt, built in 44 AD.
Tower Tomb of Iamliku
(archive)		 Tower Tomb of Elahbel
(archive)		 Tower Tomb of Atenatan
(archive)		 Tower Tomb of Kithôt
(archive)

Click here to view interactive map

U.S. Federal Court Grants Transgender Immigrant Asylum

By Samuel Miller
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America and Oceania

LOS ANGELES, United States of America — On Thursday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled a transgender illegal immigrant who suffered years of sexual and physical abuse in Mexico cannot be deported despite a felony conviction, because she is protected under international anti-torture conventions. Transgender people can be especially vulnerable to harassment and attacks and shouldn’t be equated with gays and lesbians by U.S. immigration officials determining whether to grant asylum, the federal appeals court said Thursday.

Judge Nguyen Issues Her Ruling in Los Angeles. (Photo Courtesy of Advocate.com)

The judges said Mexico suffered from an epidemic of unsolved violent crimes against transgender persons.

The three-member 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel found that a federal immigration board that ordered her deported had confused sexual orientation with gender identity.

Writing in the ruling for the 9th Circuit panel, Judge Jacqueline Nguyen said, “Evidence of country conditions shows that police specifically target the transgender community for extortion and sexual favors, and that Mexico suffers from an epidemic of unsolved violent crimes against transgender persons.”

Edin Avendano-Hernandez said she had been sexually assaulted by uniformed Mexican police and a military official for being transgender. The Board of Immigration Appeals wrongly relied on Mexican laws protecting gays and lesbians to reject Avendano-Hernandez’s asylum request, the ruling states.

According to the ruling, Avendano-Hernandez was born male but grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico, believing that she was female and suffered years of abuse over her gender identity, including beatings, sexual assaults and rape.

That abuse continued into her adulthood and she suffered at the hands of the Mexican police and military before seeking refuge in the United States. After seeking refuge in the US in 2000, Ms. Avendano-Hernandez was twice convicted of driving under the influence in 2006. She was thus ordered deported by immigration officials.

Ms. Avendano-Hernandez suffered further abuse on her return to Mexico and went back to the US, where she was later arrested for probation violation. Facing deportation again, she applied for refuge under the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

The 9th Circuit sent the case back to the Board of Immigration Appeals with instructions to grant Avendano-Hernandez’s application for relief under the Convention Against Torture.

After the latest ruling, Ms. Avendano-Hernandez’s lawyer, Munmeeth Soni, told the Associated Press: “She [Ms. Avendano-Hernandez] is ecstatic. The fear was constantly hanging over her head that she might have to one day turn herself in to return to Mexico. She no longer lives under that fear.”

For more information, please see:

Advocate.com — U.S. Appeals Court Grants Mexican Trans Woman Asylum – 4 September 2015

BBC News — Transgender ruling: US court opposes Mexican’s deportation – 4 September 2015

ABC News — Court: Transgender Asylum Seekers Can’t Be Equated With Gays – 3 September 2015

Reuters — U.S. court: Transgender illegal immigrant cannot be deported to Mexico – 3 September 2015

Yahoo! News — U.S. court: Transgender illegal immigrant cannot be deported to Mexico – 3 September 2015