Laura Estela Carlotto (February 21, 1955 – August 25, 1978) was born in

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Estela de Carlotto Enriqueta Estela Barnes de Carlotto (born 22 October 1930) is an Argentine human rights activist and president of the association of Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo. One of her daughters, Laura Estela Carlotto, was kidnapped and missing whil ...

and Guido Carlotto. Laura was a

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

Peronist Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of Ar ...

militant and studied history at the

National University of La Plata The La Plata National University ( es, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, UNLP) is one of the most important Argentine national universities and the biggest one situated in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province. It has over 9 ...

and was a member of the local Peronist youth group later recruited into

Montoneros Montoneros ( es, link=no, Movimiento Peronista Montonero-MPM) was an Argentine left-wing Peronist guerrilla organization, active throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The name is an allusion to the 19th-century cavalry militias called Montoner ...

. In 1976, Laura and her husband Oscar Walmir Montoya lived in an apartment complex across the street from the police station. The couple, that was part of a network of political activists, believed that living so close to a police station would help reduce any suspicion of subversive activities. Laura's residence was used often use as a safehouse for other Montoneros members. She wrote a book “''Laura, Vida y Militancia''“ that delves into their lives and actions as political activists. Laura often went by her ''

nom-de-guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

'' Rita.

Kidnapping and death

At the time any actions perceived as subversive were grounds for arrest under suspicion of terrorism. In August 1977 Guido Carlotto, Laura's father, was arrested under charges of aiding terrorist but was later release. Later that year, on November, Laura and Oscar were arrested while being two and a half months pregnant. The couple was accused of terrorism against the government. Laura and her husband were taken to the Navy Mechanics School, where they were tortured and interrogated. When the officers found out about Laura's pregnancy the interrogations ceased as officers under orders to take care of pregnant women to ensure a safe delivery for the baby. Oscar was executed. On June 28, 1978, Laura was transferred to the Buenos Aires

Military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

. Laura gave birth to a son she named Ignacio Montoya Carlotto. The baby was later given to another family who were unaware of the child's origin. Laura was later transferred to another detention centre in La Plata. She was executed two months later. Military officers turned over Laura's body to a funeral home where her mother was able to retrieve her body, Laura's face was smashed and body torn by bullets. Survivors of the detention centre told Estela about Laura's pregnancy and that she named her son after her father. Through the group

Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo ( es, italic=no, Asociación Civil Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo) is a human rights organization with the goal of finding the children stolen and illegally adopted during the 1976–1983 Argentine military dicta ...

, Estela de Carlotto was able to reunite with her grandson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlotto, Laura 1955 births 1978 deaths People from La Plata National University of La Plata alumni Argentine revolutionaries Executed Argentine women People executed by Argentina by firing squad