Buenos Aires (EFE)
“Dear Hebe, mother of Plaza de Mayo, global symbol of the struggle for human rights, pride of Argentina. God called you National Sovereignty Day… This shouldn’t be a coincidence. Thank you very simply and see you soon”, declared the former president (2007-2015) on her official Twitter account.
The Argentinian government has declared three days of national mourning for the death of the activist, according to a press release issued by the presidency.
Bonafini had been admitted on October 10 to the Italian hospital in La Plata, the city where she lived, to undergo further studies of her “chronic non-communicable diseases”, and was discharged three days later.
Bonafini’s last public appearance dates back to November 10, during the traditional “round” that the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo perform every Thursday in front of the Casa Rosada.
“The doctors let me come because they know it’s part of my health too. I need the square to take care of myself, I need you to improve myself,” said the activist at the time.
Bonafini’s death provoked mixed reactions on social media, with multiple messages of affection and rejection from his figure, which was heavily marked by his controversial statements and his praise of figures such as Ernesto “Che” Guevara , Fidel Castro or Hugo Chávez. .
This revolutionary spirit did not begin his fame abroad, where he won numerous prizes and distinctions, to the point of sharing the stage several times with the British singer Sting to the rhythm of “They dance alone”.
This theme, composed by the former leader of La Police in 1987, was a tribute to the Chilean women who had lost their men under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) and extended, during their performances in Argentina, to the claim of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.
The human rights activist, who would have been 94 years old on December 4, had chaired since 1979 one of the factions of the organization made up of mothers who lost their children during the last civil-military dictatorship in Argentina (1976 -1983).