Buenos Aires, Nov 20 (EFE).- The president of the Argentine association Madres de Plaza de Mayo, Hebe de Bonafini, died at the age of 93, according to what the country’s vice president, Cristina Fernández, reported this Sunday.
«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 (2007-2015) on her official Twitter account.
The Argentine government has decreed three days of national mourning for the death of the activist, according to a statement released by the Presidency.
Bonafini had been admitted on October 10 at the Italian Hospital in La Plata, the city where she lived, to undergo complementary studies of her “non-communicable chronic conditions”, and was discharged three days later.
Bonafini’s last public appearance was on November 10, in the traditional “round” held every Thursday by the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in front of the Pink House.
«The doctors let me come because they know that it is also part of my health. I need the square to heal myself, I need you to improve me, “said the activist at that time.
Bonafini’s death caused disparate reactions on social networks, with multiple messages of both affection and rejection of his figure, which was highly marked by his controversial statements and his praise of characters such as Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez.
That revolutionary spirit did not affect his fame abroad, where he won numerous awards and distinctions, to the point of sharing the stage with the British singer Sting to the beat of “They dance alone” on several occasions.
That theme, composed by the former leader of The Police in 1987, was a tribute to the Chilean women who had lost their men during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990) and extended, during their performances in Argentina, to the claim of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
