Argentina Human Rights Activists Celebrate 39 Years of Protest

The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo announced Thursday that they will celebrate 2,000 weeks of protest against human rights violations that occurred during the deadly military dictatorship in Argentina.

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The activists are celebrating 39 years of protesting around Pyramid Square in Buenos Aires to demand justice for the more than 30,000 children who were stolen by the military under the dictatorship of Jorge Videla that lasted from 1976 to 1983.

The women, who have met non-stop every Thursday since 1977, called for a gathering on August 11 to celebrate the “2,000 Thursdays in the Plaza."

“It is the story that goes forward without stopping, of our worn-out feet that don't rest, of our 30,000 children who planted with their blood the love for our country and grew into millions of young people with the same love that represents all of us,” reads the statement.

The women wear a signature white handkerchief over their heads as a symbol of their grief and struggle to find their lost children and grandchildren.

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The activists also announced they will march on August 26 and 27 in support of former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, and against the neoliberal reforms of the new government of Mauricio Macri.

“Again, the enemy is in the presidential palace and we have to stand up against it,” said Hebe de Bonafini, head of the organization, at Thursday's meeting. Bonafini also criticized Macri’s government for its continued surveillance and persecution of her organization.

The group began protesting after they were denied an audience with dictator Jorge Videla on April 30, 1977. Now, their members have expanded their fight to denounce human rights abuses and neoliberal regimes around the world.