‘Mourning Mothers Iran’ Stand with Activist Mothers Worldwide

Prostest poster from International Women's Day - Paris, 7 March, 2009. Image: Hugo de C

In Argentina, mothers of missing activists ask the same questions as mothers worldwide. These questions have lasted in Argentina almost 33 years. In 1977, they came together in Buenos Aries calling themselves the ‘Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo).’ Ignoring a law prohibiting more than 3 people from gathering in one place, they began walking the plaza two by two, in the form of heroines under the threat of arrest. They began as 14 mothers who publically protested the disappearance of their children. Their protests began during what has been called the ‘Dirty War’ of Argentina, a war beginning with the military dictatorship of General Jorge Rafael Videla.

“By the end of the year (1977), thousands would be illegally detained, tortured, assassinated or disappeared,” says a now declassified document at the US National Security Archive.

In panic under the sudden disappearances of Argentine labour advocates, students and social activists, the mothers began to speak out strongly to demand answers. A military coup had taken over Argentina with a vengeance, lasting seven long years with what has been counted today as up to 30,000 missing or dead.

In 1978, “A recent dramatic occurrence was the abduction, in December, of five ‘mothers of the disappeared’ and two French nuns, whose bodies were reportedly discovered washed ashore,” continues the declassified US National Security Archive report.

“One of the things that I simply will not do now is shut up. The women of my generation in Latin America have been taught that the man is always in charge and the woman is silent even in the face of injustice… Now I know that we have to speak out about the injustices publicly. If not, we are accomplices. I am going to denounce them publicly without fear. This is what I learned,” says Mother of Plaza de Mayo, María del Rosario de Cerruti.

Since 1977, the bereaved mothers have gathered to walk around the Plaza de Mayo in central Buenos Aires for 30 minutes every Thursday afternoon. Wearing white headscarves as a symbol of peace, the simple action of the mothers walking in a circle for peace has finally caught the world’s attention. Their movement has inspired families of the disappeared and victims of human rights violations in many parts around the world to engage in similar peaceful protests in public places.

On June 27, the Mothers of Lelah made a formal statement to the world that echoed the grief of all mothers worldwide.

“What crime have they committed to deserve death? Why do we Iranian mothers have to bear this enormous grief? What is our crime? We will never let this crime against us and our children pass by unnoticed. From now until the release of all detained demonstrators, the cessation of violence and until our children’s killers receive their punishment, we will every week gather in silent mourning near the place where our beloved martyr Neda died at Park Laleh. We urge all parents who are concerned about their daughters and sons, the future capital of our country to join us.”

- The Committee of Mothers Iran (Mourning Mothers of Laleh) 2009

To date, the Argentine mothers have received 3 major international awards for their work with human rights; the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the United Nations Prize for Peace Education and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. It is expected that the Committee of Mothers Iran (The Mourning Mothers of Laleh) will follow the legacy of Madres de Plaza de Mayo with special award and recognition in their time.

“Holding on to memory is the way to fight the remains of the past regimes who want the whole story of the disappeared to vanish,” said Morea, one of the Plaza de Mayo mothers.

“If you want justice and freedom, you have to put everything else on hold,” said Iranian mother Parvin Fahimi, recently in a Sept 2009 interview.

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[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPJCu1Cln-Q?rel=0]
This subtitled (English) video shows the depth of funeral grief of Parvin Fahimi, the mother of slain 19 year old Iranian protester, Sohrab Arabi, as she speaks out against the murder of her son.
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[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuFMoWV1cns?rel=0]
Rock star, Bono, from the infamous band U2, brings the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo on stage during a concert in Santiago, Chile (1998) to address the audience one by one as they share their pleas for justice.
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For more information on this important topic go to:

“Democracy, Governance and Human Rights – Programme Paper Number 6” – UNRISD – United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Oct 2001
“With Revolutionary Rage and Rancor: A Preliminary Report on the 1988 Massacre of Iran’s Political Prisoners” – Kaveh Sharooz, Harvard Law School, Nov 2007
“25 Days of Run Around for Mother of Peace” – The Feminist School (Iran), July 2009
“Madres de Plaze de Mayo” – online website resource
“Iran – Voices Struggling to be Heard,” US Department of State Publications, April 2004

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Additional sources for this article include Amnesty International, BBC Persian, Committee to Protect Journalists, Iranian Progressives in Translation, IPS, University of San Francisco Jesuit Education, US National Security Archive, CNN, Associated Press, Harvard Law School, US State Department, Radio Free Europe, International Campaign for Human Rights Iran, Frontline, Kyiv Post Independence News, Human Rights First, Iraqi News, KHPG.org – Human Rights in Ukraine, Women in Black and Madres de Plaza de Mayo.
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Special correspondent for Women News Network – WNN, Elahe Amani, is director of Technology for Student Affairs at California State University. She is also a 2007 Lillian Robles Award winner for her outstanding community service, social education efforts and feminist activism and is chair of Women Intercultural Network (WIN).

Humanitarian journalist, Lys Anzia, is Director/Editor-at-Large for Women News Network – WNN
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