'Grandmothers' find 140th stolen grandchild of Argentine dictatorship after nearly 50 years thanks to DNA research

Adriana Metz (left) and Estela de Carlotto, president of the human rights organization Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, embrace after announcing the recovery of Metz's brother. © REUTERS

'Grandmothers' find 140th stolen grandchild of Argentine dictatorship after nearly 50 years thanks to DNA research

A man who was taken from his mother as a newborn in a clandestine detention center during the Argentine dictatorship has been reunited with his family after nearly fifty years. The 49-year-old man, whose identity has not been released, was identified through a DNA test.

He is the 140th "stolen grandchild" recovered by the human rights organization Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo. He is the son of Graciela Alicia Romero and Raúl Eugenio Metz, left-wing activists who were arrested by soldiers on December 16, 1976. Romero, then five months pregnant, gave birth in captivity. She was murdered shortly afterward.

The news of the man's discovery was announced amid great interest at the former ESMA building in the north of the capital, Buenos Aires. This former naval training institute served as a clandestine concentration camp and torture center during the bloody dictatorship. Today, it is a national monument, a museum, and home to several human rights organizations.

Adriana Metz, the sister of the 140th "recovered grandchild," stands next to the plaque showing the number recently updated. © REUTERS

During the military dictatorship (1976-1983), some 30,000 people disappeared, most of whom were murdered. Pregnant women were often kept alive until birth and then executed. At least 500 babies were taken and given to, among others, high-ranking army generals, and grew up without knowing their original identity. The search for their identities continues today.