The Diplomat
The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, paid tribute this Tuesday in Buenos Aires to the 307 Spaniards who disappeared during the Argentine dictatorship of 1976-1983.
During the ceremony, organized at the Spanish Embassy in collaboration with the Commission of Relatives of Disappeared Spaniards and presided over by Torres and the State Secretary for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez, the minister presented several families of the disappeared with Declarations of Recognition and Reparation and attended a floral offering alongside the ambassador, Joaquín de Arístegui, at the monument to life and dignity in the gardens of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This is the second tribute to the Spaniards who disappeared in Argentina, following the one held on April 17 in Madrid. During the ceremony, Minister Torres emphasized the importance of historical memory policies as “a fundamental pillar for coexistence and progress, because a tree cannot grow with rotten roots, and young people must know what happened and learn about those who sacrificed themselves for the democracy we all enjoy today.”
According to Torres, both Argentina and Spain have “suffered the scourge of totalitarianism” and have been “victims of state terror.” “It is our duty to recover the memory of all the lives lost, to piece together the puzzle of the past, and to ensure that oblivion is never again the answer,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the families was Consuelo Castaño, who emigrated from Galicia to Argentina as a child, just six years old. She was arrested at Campo de Mayo, tried by a military tribunal, and served four years in prison after being incarcerated along with her entire family in 1979, including her daughters and her husband, Regino Adolfo González, who was never heard from again.
Consuelo Castaño thanked Minister Ángel Víctor Torres for his presence at the event and the forensic anthropology team for their work in reconstructing the disappearances of Spanish citizens, with the assistance of the Spanish Embassy and the Commission for the Disappeared. The name of Regino Adolfo, along with those of the 307 victims murdered or disappeared by the Military Junta, was published in the Official State Gazette following the institutional declaration approved by the Council of Ministers on March 24, the 50th anniversary of the military coup in Argentina.
Claudia García Iruretagoyena, who disappeared along with her husband Marcelo Ariel Gelman, is also on that list. Claudia was seven months pregnant when her husband was murdered, and she was taken to Montevideo. In a clandestine center in Uruguay, she gave birth to her daughter, who was given up for adoption. In 2000, the stolen daughter was able to recover her identity as Macarena Gelman García, who was also present at the ceremony.
According to the Ministry, Argentina accounts for more than 40 percent of the applications submitted worldwide under the eighth additional provision of Law 20/2022 on Democratic Memory, which allows those born outside of Spain to a father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother who were originally Spanish and who, as a result of having suffered exile for political, ideological, or religious reasons, or due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, lost or renounced their Spanish nationality, to obtain Spanish nationality.
The number of applications exceeds one million in Argentina, of which 85,981 people have already registered. Minister Torres assured attendees that all applications meeting the requirements and submitted on time and in the proper form before October 23, 2025—the date the extension expires—”will be guaranteed citizenship, meaning they will be able to consolidate their rights with full assurance,” by virtue of a resolution from the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Courts.
Uruguay
Four days earlier, Ángel Víctor Torres presided over another event in Montevideo, paying tribute to the Spanish exiles in Uruguay and their descendants. A Declaration of Recognition and Reparation was presented to María Josefa Bergós, an example of those “children of the war” who left Spain after the conflict or during the dictatorship.
Separately, Torres signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with his Uruguayan counterpart, Rodrigo Arim, Director of the Office of Planning and Budget, establishing a framework for cooperation and the exchange of best practices between the public administrations of both countries.