International
Founder of Argentina’s anti-dictatorship ‘mothers’ dies aged 93
| By AFP |
Hebe de Bonafini, who led a group of Argentine women known as the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in defying the military dictatorship and demanding the truth about their missing children, died Sunday at 93, the country’s vice-president said.
Bonafini was one of the founders of the group in 1977, uniting a group of mothers who protested in front of the presidency, desperate to know the whereabouts of tens of thousands who were abducted during the brutal 1976-1983 military regime.
For 45 years, through different governments, the women continued to meet, marching around the Plaza de Mayo in their trademark white headscarves, in an often futile search for justice.
Vice President Cristina Kirchner announced Bonafini’s death on Twitter, praising her as a “world symbol of the fight for human rights, pride of Argentina.”
Her daughter, Alejandra Bonafini, confirmed her death at a Buenos Aires hospital where she had been admitted for several days.
“These are very difficult moments of deep sadness, and we understand the love people have for Hebe. But, right now, we need to cry in private,” wrote Alejandra.
Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said Bonafini was a “tireless fighter for human rights,” and declared three days of national mourning.
“The government and the Argentine people recognize her as an international symbol of the search for memory, truth and justice for the 30,000 missing,” he added in a statement.
“As founder of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, she shone a light in the middle of the dark night of military dictatorship, and lay a path to the recovery of democracy.”
The governments of Cuba and Venezuela also paid tribute to Bonafini.
Kidnapping of leftists, babies
Some 30,000 people were abducted and presumed killed by the regime or right-wing death squads in the 1970s and 1980s for being suspected leftists.
That was compounded by the drama of widespread kidnapping of babies born to suspected dissidents being held during the right-wing dictatorship.
Many babies — offspring of now-dead dissidents — were born in captivity without the knowledge of their blood relatives and were given to military families to adopt.
Bonafini, who attended rallies in recent years in her wheelchair, was born in 1928 in Ensenada, a town 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Buenos Aires.
She was a housewife when the military seized power in 1976, ousting Isabel Peron, the wife of late president Juan Peron.
However, in 1977, her sons and daughter-in-law were kidnapped and disappeared.
“I forgot who I was the day they disappeared. I never thought of myself again,” Bonafini said recently at the launch of a photo exhibition on her life.
A few months later, she and a small group of women began protesting in front of the Casa Rosada, the pink presidential palace.
The mothers risked the same fate as their political activist children — torture, death or simply disappearing without a trace. Instead, the generals tried to laugh them off, mocking them as “madwomen.”
The women circled the Plaza de Mayo every Thursday until the Covid pandemic broke out, becoming famous worldwide for their struggle.
In later years, Bonafini became a more controversial figure, becoming a radical supporter of leftist Kirchnerism and staunch backer of former president Nestor Kirchner and his wife Cristina, the current vice president.
In 2017, she was prosecuted for alleged misappropriation of funds meant for building homes for the poor, which she said was a political act by then-President Mauricio Macri, who she considered an “enemy.” The case had not been resolved at the time of her death.
International
Protests persist in Uruapan after mayor’s assassination as citizens demand justice
Five days after the assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan in the western state of Michoacán, and following the appointment of his widow, Grecia Quiroz, as interim mayor, hundreds of people continue protesting for the third consecutive day demanding justice.
On Wednesday, around 200 vehicles belonging to transport associations and business owners blocked roads in central Uruapan and several major avenues across the city.
Meanwhile, in Morelia, the state capital, two university marches were scheduled. Demonstrations since Monday have been marked by clashes, police response, and protesters forcing their way into the Michoacán Government Palace.
About 200 kilometers away, in the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas, another demonstration was called for 6:00 p.m. local time, in which the Association of Producers and Exporting Packers of Avocado of Mexico (APEAM) announced it would join the demand for greater security.
Total Shutdown Planned in Uruapan
Local business chambers and organizations in Uruapan have called for a “total shutdown of activities” this Friday, the 7th, at 10:00 a.m. (16:00 GMT). They are urging residents to place a black ribbon at the entrance of their homes or businesses as a sign of mourning.
The groups plan to march wearing black or white shirts under the slogan: “For those who are gone, for those who are afraid, for those who remain standing.”
International
Sexual assault attempt on Mexico’s president sparks outrage in historic center
A man harassed and groped Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum without her consent on Tuesday while she walked through Mexico City’s historic center, just meters from the National Palace, greeting members of the public.
The man, who appeared to be intoxicated, attempted to kiss the president from behind before grabbing her. Security personnel immediately intervened and detained him, with video footage showing Sheinbaum visibly tense following the incident.
Sheinbaum was on her way to the first National Meeting of Universities and Higher Education Institutions at the Education Secretariat headquarters, located just a few blocks from the palace. She chose to walk to the event due to the short distance.
During the stroll, in one of the busiest parts of the capital, the man took advantage of the crowd surrounding the president, approaching her from behind, trying to kiss her neck and placing his arms around her.
Hours later, federal authorities confirmed that the suspect — identified as Uriel Rivera Martínez — had been arrested and taken to the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office for Sexual Crimes, according to the National Detention Registry.
Legal sources stated that Sheinbaum was the victim of a flagrant sexual abuse offense under Mexico City’s Penal Code, noting that no close assistant intervened at the very moment the assault occurred.
According to a 2024 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 15.5% of women in Mexico have experienced sexual harassment, groping, exhibitionism or attempted rape — five times the percentage of men, at 3.2%.
International
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
The U.S. government shutdown reached a historic milestone on Wednesday, becoming the longest in the nation’s history as Republicans aligned with President Donald Trump continue to clash with Democratic opposition over the federal budget.
The shutdown entered its 36th day, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 during Trump’s first term in office.
Over the past six weeks, the budget impasse has left roughly 1.4 million federal workers without pay. Employees deemed “essential,” including air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, have been required to continue working despite not receiving their salaries.
Conditions at airports are growing increasingly strained. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the federal government may be forced to partially shut down U.S. airspace due to staffing shortages.
“So if we go another week from now, Democrats, you will see massive chaos… you will see massive flight delays,” Duffy cautioned.
Social assistance programs have also been disrupted. On Tuesday, Trump stated that food aid relied upon by millions of Americans would not be distributed until the government reopens — contradicting earlier administration comments indicating that partial benefits could still be provided.
Protests persist in Uruapan after mayor’s assassination as citizens demand justice
Sexual assault attempt on Mexico’s president sparks outrage in historic center
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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