Trial over appropriation of stolen grandchild 128 begins in Tucumán

A long-awaited trial over the appropriation and identity substitution of Marcos Ramos, the 128th stolen grandchild found by the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, began on Wednesday in the northern province of Tucumn.  The proceedings before the Federal Oral Criminal Court will focus on the crimes committed against Ramos and his older brother, Ismael Suleiman, during Argentinas last military dictatorship (1976-1983). The trial comes just days after Ramos was able to piece together his true biological identity.  Nearly 50 years after his birth, advances at the National Genetic Data Bank (BNDG, in Spanish) allowed authorities to confirm that he is the son of a man who disappeared after being abducted during the last military regime.  In 2018, the BNDG had already confirmed the identity of his biological mother. You may also be interested in: Government to reinforce funding for Genetic Data Bank following court order Today we can say that Marcos has been able to fully restore his right to identity: he has now learned that he is the son of Rosario del Carmen Ramos and Pastor Dante Campos, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo said after the confirmation. The finding enabled Ramos to meet his paternal aunt, Ilda del Valle Campos, and other relatives for the first time. Who is accused Following the deaths of other defendants during the investigation, the only person standing trial will be Carlos Vega, a former officer of the Army’s 142nd Intelligence Detachment.  Prosecutors hold him responsible for the abduction and substitution of the identities of Marcos Ramos and Ismael Suleiman, citing his role in the operation and his personal ties to its alleged organizers. According to information released by the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, the investigation that ultimately led to Ramoss identification accelerated after a judicial inquiry launched in 2013, based on information submitted to the National Justice and Human Rights Ministrys rewards program.  The report pointed to a young man who could be the child of disappeared parents and who had allegedly been appropriated by a person accused of crimes against humanity in Tucumn. The trial is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the removal, concealment and identity substitution of the two brothers, adding another chapter to Argentinas ongoing efforts to prosecute crimes committed during state terrorism and to restore the identities of children taken from their families during the dictatorship. Marcos story Marcos Ramos was born on June 9, 1976, in San Miguel de Tucumn. His mother, Rosario del Carmen Ramos, who at the time was separated from his father, was abducted just a few months later, between November and December 1976.  Shortly after, Marcos and his half-brother Ismael Suleiman, who was eight years old, were taken from the home where they were being cared for by friends of the family. The children were forcibly transferred to a house in Taf Viejo, where other children were also being held. It was the last time Ismael saw his younger brother. Ismael was moved to another residence in Tucumn. After several escape attempts, he managed to contact a paternal uncle, who alerted his father and enabled the family to recover him. Marcos, however, remained missing and was raised under a different identity. More than two decades later, Ismael reported his brother’s disappearance to the National Commission for the Right to Identity (CONADI).  Subsequent investigations eventually led authorities to Marcos, who agreed to undergo DNA testing at the BNDG. In August 2018, he recovered his identity and was reunited with his maternal brother. According to the Grandmother of Plaza de Mayo, close to 500 children were taken from parents illegally detained and forcibly disappeared during the dictatorship. Thanks to their decades-long efforts, 140 have been identified so far.