Published 07/07/2025 16:38
The grandparents of May Square announced on Monday (7) the restitution of grandson 140, born on April 17, 1977 at the clandestine center La Escuelita, in Bahía Blanca, 630 kilometers from Buenos Aires.
The man is the son of Graciela Alicia Romero and Raúl Eugenio Metz, militants of the Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT) kidnapped by the Argentine dictatorship in Cutral-Co, Neuquén province, when Graciela was five months pregnant.
The reunion occurs in a context marked by the systematic dismantling of memory institutions promoted by the government of Javier Milei.
“Once again, the overwhelming truth imposes itself again on oblivion and flourishes the identity. There are still about 300 grandchildren and granddaughters,” said the presidents of the grandparents, Estela de Carlotto, highlighting the symbolic force of restitution.
Neto 140 was located after an anonymous complaint received by the organization. Investigations were conducted in partnership with the National Commission for the Right to Identity (Conadi) and the Specialized Fiscal Unit for Cases of Child Appropriation during State Terrorism (UFO). Despite the difficulties, the man agreed to perform the DNA test at the National Genetic Database (BNDG), confirming his identity.
The exam was performed amid the Milei government attempted to empty BNDG and remove its autonomy through Decree 351/2025. Estela de Carlotto demanded the immediate revocation of the measure and recalled that the refund of identity “is not a favor of the state – it is a fundamental right.”
Sister’s search and memory as resistance
Adriana Metz Romero, sister of the refunded grandson, participated in the press conference alongside Carlotto. Today reference of the grandparents branch in Mar del Plata, Adriana had sought her brother since her childhood, when she learned, still little, that her mother had given birth during the captivity. It was created by the grandparents after being delivered by neighbors, right after the kidnapping of their parents.
“My son told me that I noticed a change in the way I speak. I said ‘my mother’, now I say ‘mom’ and ‘daddy’. It was not forced. I always knew I had a brother,” he said.
Upon learning of the confirmation, Adriana added it to the cell phone with the surname Metz as a way to reintegrate it to family history. “From here, everything is won to the Metz Romero family, but also for society. Each grandson refunded us a little more.”
During the search, Adriana created a weaving blog where she wrote symbolic letters to her brother. He also sent a message on his 40th birthday. “She was weaving a network that welcomes her and now also hugs her brother in this long -awaited reunion,” said Estela.
The man, who lived in Buenos Aires and was raised as an only child, has already talked with his sister. According to Adriana, “he thought he had no family.” Reality, as she showed, was another: there was an entire family waiting for him.
The systematic plane of babies theft
Graciela and Raúl were kidnapped on December 16, 1976, taken to two clandestine centers known as “La Escuelita”. In the first, in Neuquén, they suffered physical and psychological torture. Then they were transferred to Bahía Blanca, where Graciela gave birth to her child in inhuman conditions without any medical care.
A few days after delivery, the baby was removed from his mother and delivered to civilians. Graciela would have confided to a captive companion who had had a boy. Like so many other cases, the child grew up without knowing its origin and without knowing its true identity.
In an official note, the grandparents were emphatic: “Each grandson confirms that the terrorist state kidnapped people, kept them hidden in clandestine detention centers, murdered them and disappeared their bodies. That in these fields there were clandestine maternities, where women like Graciela Romero gave birth in inhuman conditions.”
The statement also denounces the systematic plan of minors’ appropriation promoted by the dictatorship, condemning these children to live “in lies,” while their biological families sought for them “indefinitely.” The restitution of grandson’s identity 140 is part of this historical process of repair.
Series “The Eternal” boosts complaints about identity
In addition to the impact of refund, the grandparents of Praça de Maio reported that the number of consultations of people with questions about their origin has increased six times in recent days. The impulse came from the Argentine series O eternautalaunched by Netflix, based on the work of Héctor Germán Oesterheld – a disappeared writer along with his four daughters by the dictatorship.
The Hijos organization has launched a campaign with posters that overlap Oesterheld’s images and their daughters to the poster of the series. “If you were born between November 1976 and January 1978 and have doubts about your identity, look for grandparents,” says the play. Elsa Sánchez, widow of Oesterheld, is one of the founders of the organization.
Cultural mobilization and the engagement of new generations have been fundamental to keeping the struggle for memory and identity alive. Grandparents reaffirm that no information is insignificant and that any suspicion may be the beginning of a new reunion.
According to the entity, “the missing grandchildren live in our neighborhoods, work with us, share activities. They are among us – and need support to find their origins.”
The dismantling of memory institutions under Javier Milei
During the press conference, Manuel Gonçalves Granada – Neto restored, secretary of the grandparents and member of Conadi – warned of the critical situation of the institutions involved in the restitution of the identity. Decree 351/2025, signed by Javier Milei, removed the autonomy and independence of the National Bank of Genetic Databases, endangering decades of advances.
“The collective search sustained over 49 years is only possible with public policies and state structures committed to the truth,” said Gonçalves. “Even in precarious conditions, Conadi and BNDG workers continue to act with huge effort and conviction.”
Carlotto Estela reaffirmed that each restitution is like “a birth.” For her, the restitution of grandson 140 proves that “our grandchildren and grandchildren are among us” and that “thanks to perseverance and constant work will continue to appear.” She ended by asking the company’s support to revoke the decree and prevent the truth from being silenced.
Source: vermelho.org.br
