March 24th marks Argentina’s Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice (leer mas en Espanol). This day commemorates the period of state terrorism from 1976 to 1983—a reign of terror wrought with murders, torture and disappearances. Decades later, many still do not know the fate of their loved ones.
On the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice, AIPR commemorates the disappeared and calls for continued accountability. We applaud the tireless efforts of individuals and organizations devoted to shining a bright light on the darkest days of Argentine military rule. Civil society groups like Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo y Madres de Plaza de Mayo work in search of truth and memory in-step with ongoing efforts to hold bring perpetrators to justice. As AIPR Director of Latin American Programs Eugenia Carbone remarked:
This commemoration falls in the year in which we are also commemorating the 40th year since the launch of Operation Condor in the Southern Cone. Forty years after launching this macabre plan that claimed thousands of lives in Latin America, the region is not only moving forward with a political drive to search for the truth and bring those responsible to justice, but also actively participating this decade in networks and mechanisms—like the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention—which prioritize the fight against impunity, the construction of a collective memory and the unconditional support of comprehensive policies of memory, truth, justice and reparations.
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Image © Archivo Hasenberg-Quaretti