Argentina’s Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo receives UNESCO peace prize

Argentina’s Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo receives UNESCO peace prize

2011-03-04 22:41:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Friday announced the recipient of the 2010 peace award.

The UN agency selected as winner Argentina's Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a non-governmental organization that has been working for over 30 years to locate the families of children kidnapped and disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina.

"With all my heart I congratulate the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and their president Estela Carlotto," said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

The Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize awarded the prize to the Argentinian organization for their tireless efforts for human rights and peace by standing up to oppression, injustice and impunity.

The non-governmental organization, known as "Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo" in Latin America, was found in 1977. The human rights group seeks to ensure that violations of children's rights never happen again and demands prosecution of all those responsible for the tragedy.

"Their ceaseless effort has made it possible for 100 young people to rediscover their true identities, thereby setting right a flagrant injustice. This is an inspiring example of the defense of human rights," added Bokova.

On February 28, an Argentina's tribunal began the trial against two former presidents and six former military leaders over a baby theft case during the last military dictatorship.

Former presidents Jorge Rafael Videla and Reynaldo Benito Bignone are accused of participating in the systematic theft of about 30 babies from political prisoners who died or disappeared during the 1976-1983 military government.

The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo has helped 102 individuals who were stolen from political prisoners to recover their biologic identity. The trial agaisnt Videla and Bignone is the biggest achievement of the group so far.

Previous winners of the prize include former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Nelson Mandela and Frederik W. De Klerk; Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat; King Juan Carlos of Spain and former United States President Jimmy Carter.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-04