Adelina Dematti de Alaye

Adelina Ethel Dematti de Alaye (June 5, 1927 – May 24, 2016) was an Argentine human rights activist who co-founded the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an organization of mothers whose children disappeared during the Dirty War of the 1970s and early 1980s. She became known as "la madre fotógrafa," or "the mother photographer," for her documentation of the Argentine dictatorship and the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo through her photography. The kidnappers, dressed in civilian clothing, were recognized as members of the Argentine Navy. Her son's disappearance led to her involvement with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Later on, she was engaged in Madres de Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora.

In 2009, the National University of La Plata awarded Dematti an honorary doctorate for her activism on behalf of human rights. She was also honored as an illustrious citizen by the cities of Chivilcoy and La Plata.

Adelina Dematti de Alaye died in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, on May 24, 2016, at the age of 88.

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