Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo identify 140th grandchild born in dictatorship captivity

The Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo right group, which searches for children snatched by the security forces during Argentina’s 1976–1983 dictatorship, on Monday announced the discovery of “grandchild number 140.”

At a press conference, the rights group confirmed the restitution of the child of Graciela Romero and Raúl Eugenio Metz, who was born in captivity at a clandestine detention centre in 1977. 

He is 48 years old and lives in Buenos Aires City, it was revealed.

The discovery was made public at a press conference held at the Casa por la Identidad in the Espacio Memoria, located on the site of the former ESMA detention centre in Buenos Aires.

“Today we announce, with enormous joy, and welcome grandchild number 140 – the son of Graciela Romero and Raúl Metz. Welcome!” announced Estela de Carlotto, president of Abuelas, visibly moved. 

Sat beside her was the recovered grandson’s older sister, Adriana Metz Romero, who works for the organisation. She has "always been looking for him,” said the veteran rights leader.

Carlotto, now 94, described the reunion as “a balm to keep going, despite the circumstances” – a reference to the anti-human rights policies of President Javier Milei’s government. 

“We confirm once again that our grandchildren are among us and that thanks to the perseverance and constant work of these 47 years of struggle, they will continue to appear, but the search cannot be done alone,” said Carlotto.

She paid tribute to “the grandmothers who are no longer with us,” to the grandchildren who now accompany their work and to the younger generation of staff who today continue the group’s mission. 

“They give us the strength to carry on,” she said, adding her gratitude for still being “lucid” enough to witness the moment.

The newly identified grandson was born on April 17, 1977, in the clandestine detention centre known as La Escuelita de Bahía Blanca. His parents, originally from Bahía Blanca, were kidnapped in the town of Cutral Có, Neuquén Province, in 1977. 

Graciela, then 24, was five months pregnant at the time of her abduction. Witnesses provided information about her torture in two clandestine detention centres, first in Neuquén and then in Bahía Blanca.

Raúl was also tortured. Both remain missing. Their daughter Adriana, then a year old, was raised by her paternal grandparents, Oscar and Elisa, who supported her lifelong search for her brother.

“These small victims of the civil–military dictatorship are thankfully still being found,” Carlotto noted in an interview with the C5N news channel before the press conference.

“Now I know where my brother is. From here on out, it's all good for the Metz Romero family,’ said Adriana.

Rights policies

The case marks the latest in a long process of identity restoration by Abuelas, which has identified 140 grandchildren since it was founded in 1977. The organisation estimates that around 300 children born in captivity or abducted with their parents during the dictatorship have yet to be found.

The previous discovery took place in January: the daughter of a 25-year-old woman who was abducted in Buenos Aires in 1977 while six or seven months pregnant. She gave birth in captivity and remains missing to this day.

In December 2024, the group announced the identification of grandson number 138, and number 137 in September.

The Abuelas and other rights organisations have clashed with President Milei over his government’s sweeping budget cuts, including those targeting the Banco Nacional de Datos Genéticos (BNDG), the national genetic data bank, which stores DNA samples from families searching for the disappeared.

The organisation successfully obtained a court ruling to protect the integrity of the BNDG, which was established in 1987.

Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has taken aim at what he brands “the human rights scam,” attempting to link the struggle to his political opponent, former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the wider Kirchnerite movement.

Among other measures, the Milei government has downgraded the Secretaría de Derechos Humanos to a sub-secretariat and announced a 30 percent cut to its staff.

He also dismantled by decree the special unit dedicated to investigating children who disappeared during the dictatorship, which operated under the Comisión Nacional por el Derecho a la Identidad (CONADI).

This latest restitution was made possible thanks to information provided by an anonymous tip.

“It was then decided to call him to find out if he would agree to a DNA test, he agreed and it was discovered that he is my brother,” said Metz Romero.

Although the details remain confidential, she said that they had their first contact via video call and that they have yet to meet in person.

In a statement, the Abuelas highlighted “the silent work” of those at CONADI, many of whom continue their efforts under precarious working conditions. “Each person who still doesn’t know their true identity deserves resolution,” the group said.

“With the restitution of grandchild 140, we confirm once again that our grandchildren are among us,” said Carlotto. “We will find them, thanks to the work we’ve been doing for the past 47 years.”

– TIMES/AFP/NA