MEXICO CITY, Mexico.- Hebe de Bonafini, mother of two disappeared, Kirchner militant, activist and leader of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, has just died at the age of 93.
Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was one of the first public figures to react to the news and pay tribute:
“Dearest Hebe, Mother of Plaza de Mayo, world symbol of the fight for Human Rights, pride of Argentina. God called you on the day of National Sovereignty… it should not be a coincidence. Simply thank you and see you always,” said the former president in a tweet.
Dearest Hebe, Mother of Plaza de Mayo, world symbol of the fight for Human Rights, pride of Argentina. God called you on the day of National Sovereignty… it should not be a coincidence. Just thank you and always. pic.twitter.com/TVUfmywmAi
— Cristina Kirchner (@CFKArgentina) November 20, 2022
Hebe de Bonafini had been discharged on October 13, after being admitted to the Italian Hospital in the city of La Plata for medical check-ups. Until that day she had remained active, participating in political events and marches.
After the death of the reference, the national government decreed three days of mourning in “homage to Hebe, her memory and her struggle that will always be present as a guide in difficult times.”
The historic leader was one of the co-founders of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Movement. The organization that dates from 1977 and made visible the disappearances in Argentina, during the last civic-military dictatorship.
Who was Heba?
Hebe de Bonafini was born on December 4, 1928 in a working-class neighborhood in the town of Ensenada. At only 14 years old, and with barely any basic studies, she married Humberto Alfredo Bonafini. From that marriage three children were born: Jorge Omar, Raúl Alfredo and María Alejandra.
On February 8, 1977, during the last civic-military dictatorship, his son Jorge Omar was kidnapped and disappeared. On December 6 of that same year, the same thing happened with Raúl Alfredo. A year later, the military dictatorship also disappeared his daughter-in-law, María Elena Bugnone Cepeda, Jorge’s partner. The losses suffered by her family transformed her from homemaker to activist.
In 1979, he took the presidency of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Association. Which makes her one of the most recognized faces in her country and places her in the center of the political scene, despite the fact that other mothers in the movement they accused her of being authoritarian.
Furthermore, in 2017 was prosecuted for embezzlement. He was associated with a crime of fraud against the State for about 13 million dollars, through the social program “Sueños Compartidos”.
With her usual white scarf over her hair, Hebe de Bonifani Without a doubt, he stood out as one of the bravest voices against the crimes of the Jorge Rafael Videla dictatorship, which left more than 30,000 missing.
However, the multi-award winning activist was also very controversial. While she pointed out the crimes of governments that violated Human Rights, she was not only silent when it came to left-wing dictatorships. She, until her last days, was a defender of the Cuban regime. From her mouth came only cheers for Hugo Chávez, El Che, the Castros and she even supported terrorist organizations such as ETA or the FARC.
Toward Fidel Castrowho was united by a long friendship, stated have felt love and admiration. Among the dozen photos that Hebe de Bonafini exhibited on the wall of her studio, one of her embracing the Cuban dictator stood out.
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