Taty Almeida, icon of Argentina’s Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, dies at 95
The president of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora spent half a century searching for her disappeared son and became a symbol of the fight against dictatorship-era impunity.
A mother's promise
On 17 June 1975, Alejandro Almeida, a 20-year-old medical student and left-wing militant, said "Mamma, torno subito" and left home. He never returned. He was abducted by the right-wing paramilitary group Triple A months before Argentina's 1976–1983 military dictatorship began. Taty Almeida searched for answers, even approaching dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, but found none. She never recovered her son's remains.
Joining the Mothers
Born Lidia Stella Mercedes Miy Uranga on 28 June 1930 into a military family, Almeida was a teacher. She joined the Madres de Plaza de Mayo in 1979, years after the first 14 women gathered on 30 April 1977 outside the presidential palace. She was initially hesitant:
From then, her white scarf became a fixture at demonstrations, trials and in political debate.I was afraid to go. With my CV, I could have been considered a spy. Once inside the organization, it was a revelation.
A voice for truth and justice
Almeida became president of the Línea Fundadora faction and led the group from 2024. She maintained that time does not heal the absence of the disappeared and that her son had "given birth" to her politically, pulling her out of the bubble she had lived in. The organization estimates that 30,000 people were disappeared under the dictatorship.
- Son Alejandro disappears, abducted by Triple A.
- Joins the Madres de Plaza de Mayo.
- Becomes president of Línea Fundadora.
- Speaks at 50th anniversary of the 1976 coup.
- Dies at Hospital Italiano in Buenos Aires, age 95.
Opposition and final years
In recent years, Almeida openly opposed the government of President Javier Milei over his policies on memory, truth and justice. She was a central voice at the 50th anniversary commemorations of the civil-military coup in March 2026. She spent her last three weeks hospitalized.
Death and legacy
Almeida died on 14 June 2026 at 19:20 local time at Hospital Italiano in Buenos Aires. Her family said: "At 19:20 on 14 June, our dear Taty Almeida passed away at Hospital Italiano. 30,000 detained-disappeared, present now and always!"
Tireless fighter who honored life. Farewell dear Taty.
