Association of Former Detained-Disappeared

The Asociación de Ex Detenidos Desaparecidos (AEDD; Association of Former Detained-Disappeared) is an Argentine human rights organization made up of survivors of the clandestine detention centers that operated during the civic-military dictatorship that governed Argentina between 1976 and 1983, as well as other activists who share its objectives. It was founded in October 1984 by Adriana Calvo and Guillermo Lorusso, among others, following earlier meetings that began in mid-1984 among survivors of the El Vesubio detention center who had started a judicial case and then decided to convene survivors from other camps. The AEDD participated in the 1985 Trial of the Juntas, even while criticizing that only the three highest military juntas were judged and not the rest of the repressive personnel they denounced. The participation of survivors was an essential element in sustaining the trial. Throughout its history, the Association has waged an unwavering struggle for memory, truth and justice for the victims of crimes committed by the last Argentine dictatorship (1976–1983), crimes that in their totality constitute the criminal offense of genocide, as was recognized judicially for the first time in Argentina in a 2006 ruling. Since the passage of the Full Stop Law (1986) and the Due Obedience Law (1987), together with other human rights bodies and popular organizations, the AEDD deployed an intense campaign for their repeal, understanding that they enshrined impunity for those responsible for and executors of the genocide. Since the annulment of the impunity laws, the AEDD has actively promoted and participated as a plaintiff (querellante) in most of the judicial cases opened against the genocidaires. Its participation in all trials is indispensable and takes on special importance in cases where there is no direct testimony about crimes committed in a given clandestine detention center. The AEDD's work does not count on institutional support and faces serious difficulties, mainly due to recurring threats and attacks against plaintiffs, witnesses, human rights organizations, and even judges and prosecutors. The most dramatic expression of these circumstances was the kidnapping and disappearance of Jorge Julio López, a survivor of the military dictatorship who, after giving key testimony in the genocide conviction of former commissioner Miguel Etchecolatz, was kidnapped on 18 September 2006 and has remained disappeared since that date. In addition to its participation in judicial cases for dictatorship crimes, the AEDD carries out continuous and tireless work in favor of and in defense of human rights, including research and systematization of information on human rights violations during the dictatorship and in the present; compilation and dissemination of information on the different trials against the genocidaires; organization of and participation in seminars, symposia and encounters; participation in meetings with primary, secondary and university students; and organization of and participation in numerous social and political activities. The Association has worked on its archive along two axes: the archive of the disappeared (in order to reconstruct the stories of those who remained disappeared) and what happened in the detention centers. Focused mainly on the first task, they formed the first version consisting of index cards ordered inside a shoebox, which served as evidence in various trials against the genocidaires carried out in Argentina's recent history, initially the Trial for the Truth and later the ABO, Etchecolatz and Camps circuit cases, among others. Over time the archive grew through donations from its own members, exchanges with other institutions and its own elaboration, until it was declared documentary heritage by UNESCO.

The Asociación de Ex Detenidos Desaparecidos (AEDD) is an Argentine human rights organization integrated by survivors of the clandestine detention centers that operated during the civic-military dictatorship that governed the country between 1976 and 1983, as well as by other activists who share its objectives. An immediate antecedent for the formation of the AEDD was the collective of survivors of the El Vesubio clandestine detention center who, as soon as they left prison, initiated a judicial case. Shortly after, they resolved to convene survivors from other camps. In mid-1984 they began holding the first meetings. Finally, the AEDD was founded in October 1984 by Adriana Calvo and Guillermo Lorusso, among others. In 1985 the members of the Association participated in the Trial of the Juntas despite criticizing that only the three highest military juntas were judged and not the rest of the repressive personnel they denounced. The participation of the survivors was an essential element in sustaining the trial. Throughout its trajectory, the Association of Former Detained-Disappeared has developed an unwavering struggle in favor of memory, truth and justice for the victims of the crimes committed by the last Argentine dictatorship (1976–1983); crimes that in their totality constitute the criminal offense of genocide, as has been recognized judicially for the first time in Argentina in a 2006 ruling. Since the passage of the Full Stop Law (1986) and the Due Obedience Law (1987), together with other human rights bodies and popular organizations, it deployed an intense campaign in favor of their repeal, understanding that they enshrined the impunity of those responsible for and executors of the genocide. Since the annulment of the impunity laws, the AEDD has promoted and actively participated as a plaintiff in most of the judicial cases opened against the genocidaires. The participation of the AEDD in all trials is an indispensable element and takes on special importance in those cases where there are no direct testimonies about the crimes committed in a given clandestine detention center. The work carried out by the AEDD does not count on institutional support and presents serious difficulties, mainly due to the recurrence of threats and attacks against plaintiffs, witnesses, human rights organizations, and even judges and prosecutors. The most dramatic expression of these circumstances is constituted by the kidnapping and disappearance of Jorge Julio López, a survivor of the military dictatorship who, after providing key testimony in the genocide conviction of former commissioner Miguel Etchecolatz, was kidnapped on 18 September 2006, remaining disappeared since that date. In addition to its participation in the judicial cases for the crimes of the dictatorship, the AEDD carries out continuous and tireless work in favor of and in defense of human rights, which includes among other activities: research and systematization of information on human rights violations during the dictatorship and in the present; compilation and dissemination of information on the different trials against the genocidaires; organization of and participation in seminars, symposia and encounters; participation in meetings with primary, secondary and university students; and organization of and participation in multiple social and political activities. The Association has worked on its archive along two axes: the archive of the disappeared (in order to reconstruct the stories of those who remained disappeared) and what happened in the detention centers. Focused mainly on the first task, they formed the first version consisting of index cards ordered inside a shoebox, which served as evidence in various trials against the genocidaires carried out in the recent history of Argentina, initially the Trial for the Truth and later the ABO, Etchecolatz and Camps circuit cases, among others. Over time the archive grew as a product of donations from its own members, exchanges with other institutions and its own elaboration, until it was declared documentary heritage by UNESCO.

• 2006

  Genocide recognized judicially for the first time in Argentina in a ruling; Jorge Julio López kidnapped on 18 September 2006 after key testimony in the Etchecolatz case.

• 1987

  Due Obedience Law passed; AEDD continues campaign against impunity laws.

• 1986

  Full Stop Law passed; AEDD campaigns for its repeal.

• 1985

  AEDD members participate in the Trial of the Juntas.

• 1984

  First meetings of survivors begin in mid-1984; AEDD founded in October 1984 by Adriana Calvo and Guillermo Lorusso, among others.

A survivor-led human rights organization dedicated to memory, truth and justice for victims of the 1976–1983 Argentine dictatorship.

Product categories. Human rights advocacy · Legal representation as plaintiff (querellante) · Documentary archive of the disappeared · Public education and seminars

1. 1Asociación de Ex Detenidos Desaparecidos – Wikipedia (Spanish)es.wikipedia.org
2. 2Asociación Ex-detenidos Desaparecidos – Wikidatawikidata.org