Global Ministries affirms support for the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina
The two Co-Executives of Global Ministries, Rev. Julia Brown Karimu and the Rev. James Moos, along with the Area Executive for Latin America and the Caribbean, Rev. Angel L. Rivera-Agosto, sent a letter of support to Mrs. Estela Carloto, President of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, about the present crisis in Argentina.
In their letter, the signatories expressed deep concern regarding the judicial proceedings that are being carried out against important leaders of the political opposition. Particularly, they pointed out issues such as the reversal of the burden of proof, breach of the principle of innocence, conviction without a prior trial, abuse and distortion of pretrial detention, double standards in access to justice, and systematic violation of due process, as points that “should not be used as persecution tools from any justice system in any country.” They also signaled the rejection of institutional violence with the decrees that grant the Armed Forces the power to act in matters of internal security, cases of easy triggering, militarization of border areas, and criminalization of protest throughout Argentina.
The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo is a longstanding partner of Global Ministries. Since the days of the Argentinian dictatorship, from 1976 until 1984, Global Ministries has accompanied the Grandmothers on their search to find their grandchildren who were born in captivity from their disappeared parents and given into adoption to families mostly related to the military. As expressed in the letter to Mrs. Carloto, “it is our conviction that our presence beside you is not a matter of past times” and that “it is our commitment to continue accompanying and procuring the welfare of the Argentine community.”