Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo announce discovery of 'grandchild number 139'

The Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo human rights group has announced the discovery of "grandchild number 139," the latest of one of the hundreds of children snatched from their parents and given up for adoption during the 1976-1983 dictatorship.

A press conference will be held today Tuesday at the Casa de la Identidad, where representatives of the organisation will provide further details about the discovery.“Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo invites you to the press conference where we will share details about the joyful reunion with grandchild number 139. We look forward to seeing you today, Tuesday, January 21, at 2pm, in the auditorium of the Casa de la Identidad within the Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos, formerly ESMA (Av. Del Libertador 8151, CABA),” the rights group confirmed on its website.

The Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo is dedicated to locating and identifying children abducted during Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship. These individuals were often born to political prisoners who were later disappeared, and many were illegally adopted by families connected to the regime. 

The group's mission is to restore the true identities of these individuals and reunite them with their biological families. 

Last month, the Abuelas announced they had found grandchild number 138 – the son of Marta Enriqueta Pourtalé and Juan Carlos Villamayor, Montoneros activists who were abducted in December 1976 and remain disappeared. When the duo were abducted, Marta was eight and a half months pregnant.

Marta, born in 1946 in Azul, Buenos Aires province, and Juan Carlos, born in 1955 in Buenos Aires City, were last seen at the clandestine detention centre ESMA, where it is believed their son was born. 

The search for his identity was initiated by María del Carmen Villamayor, Juan Carlos' sister, and his mother, Carmen Antonia Morinigo, who reported the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in 1979.

– TIMES