On August 22, 1972, under the unconstitutional president Alejandro A. Lanusse, at the Almirante Zar naval base in Trelew, nineteen political prisoners were executed, all of whom were known to be militants with the Montoneros, the Armed Revolutionary Forces (FAR), and the People’s Revolutionary Army (ERP).

On August 15, twenty-five militants had escaped from the Rawson Penitentiary. Because the escape effort failed, only six managed to flee to Chile. The remaining nineteen militants appeared before a federal judge and journalists in the Trelew airport, and were transferred to the naval base where the massacre would take place.

The details about the events were made known by the three survivors’ testimonies and caused much dissent in public opinion.

The brutal violence carried out by the State was followed by censorship and persecution to the journalists who reported on the event.

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The documents comprising the "UOM Villa Constitución – Brown List" Collection pertain to events that took place in that city between January 1974 and March 1975.

In 1973, at the instigation of independent worker activists and militants from several leftwing organizations, a strong movement by metallurgical workers to join and struggle was organized. This movement was marked by a prolonged takeover of the ACINDAR steel plant in March 1974 and days later led to the events known as "el Villazo." They in turn led to the formation of the "Agrupación 7 de septiembre" (7 September Group) and subsequently the "Lista Marrón" (Brown List).

In September 1974 the "Brown List," headed by Alberto Piccinini, won the elections to lead the local division of the UOM. This event, without precedent in the area of trade union democratization, took place within a global process of transformation of the unions which was the subject of violent state and parastatal repression.

The section we present contains a series of tools to facilitate access to the documents compiled by the "Brown List" of the Villa Constitución Division of the UOM in the province of Santa Fe.

* Note: UOM (Unión Obrera MetalÚrgica or Union of Metallurgical Workers)

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It is impossible to contemplate the history of the last 35 years in Argentina without bearing in mind the crucial role of the human rights movement in the political and social configuration of contemporary Argentina. The years of dictatorship, the complex process of democratic transition and the sinuous roads followed by the law, have been traversed by the action of these organizations.

The collection "Human rights organizations: emblematic documents" covers certain moments in the history of the human rights organizations which compose Memoria Abierta, with representative documents referring to events, activities and debates.

It consists of over 50 documents which, together with information relating to the context in which they were produced, provide a trajectory of these organizations, the strategies adopted in each stage, their standpoints when faced with different situations and the joint activities developed. This collection, moreover, aspires to categorize the value of the files insofar as learning the history of our country is concerned.

In the course of studying the documents, the reader will also discover other aspects of the historical process, such as the relation of human rights movements with other movements and social players, the role of their principals or their political associations.

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See the documents (only available in spanish)