Night of the Pencils
Encyclopedia
The Night of the Pencils (in ), was a series of kidnapping
s and forced disappearance
s, followed by the torture
, rape
, and murder
of a number of young students during the last Argentine dictatorship
(known as the National Reorganization Process
). The kidnappings took place over the course of several days beginning on September 16, 1976.
These circumstances, in conjunction with the testimony of one of the survivors, Pablo Díaz (a self-confessed supporter of the ERP
-backed Guevarist Youthan underground organization that was to lose 369 militants disappeared when it was discovered that this group was going to mount armed attacksduring the 1978 World Cup held in Argentina), are widely believed to validate the hypothesis that the kidnappings were a direct consequence of these protests and their activism. However, it is the belief of other survivors, such as Emilce Moler, that the student's benefits' demands had no direct bearing on the kidnappings, but rather it was the mere fact that the students were considered to be Montoneros militants by the military regime that was the catalyst for the kidnappings and forced disappearances.
Jorge Falcone, the brother of one of the kidnapped students, María Claudia, has maintained that her activities against the military dictatorship went beyond student protests, and that on the day she was kidnapped she was hiding weapons in her aunt's residence and was prepared to use them. He wrote his sister was not a victim, or a martyr, but a hero of the Montoneros
He also defended his sister's commitment to the Montoneros
guerrilla movement in Argentina:
"My sister wasn't Little Red Riding Hood
who the wolf gulped down. She was a revolutionary militant. […] The militant was the type who in a moment could send a molotov flying in a lightning act... They could also carry out support action in a major military operation."
. The students were held for months in several illegal detention centers
, where they were tortured, some of them raped, and ultimately presumed murdered. Only 4 of the 10 detainees are known to have survived. The other six, according to testimony by survivor Pablo Diaz, were executed in the first week of January, 1977. The kidnapped students were:
The story of the students from their kidnapping until their death or release was depicted in the 1986 film
Night of the Pencils
, directed by Héctor Olivera
who had earlier directed the anti-Argentine military film La Patagonia rebelde
.
The testimony of Pablo Díaz, the last survivor to be released, served as the basis for a song with the same title by Canarian
singer Rogelio Botanz.
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
s and forced disappearance
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
s, followed by the torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a number of young students during the last Argentine dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
(known as the National Reorganization Process
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
). The kidnappings took place over the course of several days beginning on September 16, 1976.
Causes
The victims were for the most part members of the forbidden "Union of High School Students of La Plata" (Union de Estudiantes Secundarios de La Plata, or UES). This student organization, was in reality a front of the Montoneros guerrillasthat had been agitating for a series of student benefits, mainly free public student transportion, from the Argentine Minister of Public Works.These circumstances, in conjunction with the testimony of one of the survivors, Pablo Díaz (a self-confessed supporter of the ERP
People's Revolutionary Army (Argentina)
The Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo was the military branch of the communist Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores in Argentina...
-backed Guevarist Youthan underground organization that was to lose 369 militants disappeared when it was discovered that this group was going to mount armed attacksduring the 1978 World Cup held in Argentina), are widely believed to validate the hypothesis that the kidnappings were a direct consequence of these protests and their activism. However, it is the belief of other survivors, such as Emilce Moler, that the student's benefits' demands had no direct bearing on the kidnappings, but rather it was the mere fact that the students were considered to be Montoneros militants by the military regime that was the catalyst for the kidnappings and forced disappearances.
Jorge Falcone, the brother of one of the kidnapped students, María Claudia, has maintained that her activities against the military dictatorship went beyond student protests, and that on the day she was kidnapped she was hiding weapons in her aunt's residence and was prepared to use them. He wrote his sister was not a victim, or a martyr, but a hero of the Montoneros
He also defended his sister's commitment to the Montoneros
Montoneros
Montoneros was an Argentine Peronist urban guerrilla group, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The name is an allusion to 19th century Argentinian history. After Juan Perón's return from 18 years of exile and the 1973 Ezeiza massacre, which marked the definitive split between left and right-wing...
guerrilla movement in Argentina:
"My sister wasn't Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
who the wolf gulped down. She was a revolutionary militant. […] The militant was the type who in a moment could send a molotov flying in a lightning act... They could also carry out support action in a major military operation."
The kidnappings
The 10 kidnapped students were alleged activists and student militants, as well as members of the High School Student Union of the city of La PlataLa Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
. The students were held for months in several illegal detention centers
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
, where they were tortured, some of them raped, and ultimately presumed murdered. Only 4 of the 10 detainees are known to have survived. The other six, according to testimony by survivor Pablo Diaz, were executed in the first week of January, 1977. The kidnapped students were:
| Name | Age (in 1976) | Date of Disappearance | Current Status | Additional Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| María Claudia Falcone Maria Claudia Falcone María Claudia Falcone is one of the high school students kidnapped in Argentina on September 16, 1976 by the military dictatorship, in what is known as the Night of the Pencils. During this incident Maria Claudia, 16 years old, along with several other students, was kidnapped by military personnel... |
16 | September 16 1976 | Missing | Kidnapped from her grandmother's house along with her friend María Clara Ciocchini. According to her brother Jorge Falcone, she was a Montoneros militant. |
| Claudio de Acha | 17 | September 16 1976 | Missing | Kidnapped while at the house of Horacio Ungaro. |
| Gustavo Calotti | 18 | September 8 1976 | Survivor | Although kidnapped on September 8, he is considered a survivor of the "Night of the Pencils" due to his association with the other students. |
| María Clara Ciocchini | 18 | September 16 1976 | Missing | Kidnapped along with María Claudia Falcone. |
| Pablo Díaz | 18 | September 21 1976 | Survivor | In 1985 he made his experiences public while testifying in court. According to the book Political Violence and Trauma in Argentina, he was a militant of the ERP that was planning to attack during the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. |
| Francisco López Muntaner | 16 | September 16 1976 | Missing | |
| Patricia Miranda | 17 | September 17 1976 | Survivor | She had not participated in, nor did she belong to, any political or militant organizations. She was held until March 1978. |
| Emilce Moler | 17 | September 17 1976 | Survivor | |
| Daniel A. Racero | 18 | September 16 1976 | Missing | |
| Horacio Ungaro | 17 | September 16 1976 | Missing |
The story of the students from their kidnapping until their death or release was depicted in the 1986 film
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
Night of the Pencils
Night of the Pencils (film)
Night of the Pencils is an Argentine drama film directed by Héctor Olivera and written by Olivera and Daniel Kon. It is based on the non-fiction book by María Seoane and Héctor Ruiz Núñez....
, directed by Héctor Olivera
Héctor Olivera
Héctor Olivera is a film director, producer and screenwriter.He works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, but has contributed to numerous films in the United States.-Biography:...
who had earlier directed the anti-Argentine military film La Patagonia rebelde
La Patagonia rebelde
Rebellion in Patagonia is a 1974 Argentine film directed by Héctor Olivera and written by Olivera with Osvaldo Bayer and Fernando Ayala, based on Osvaldo Bayer's renowned novel Los Vengadores de la Patagonia Trágica , based upon the military suppression of anarchist union movements in Santa Cruz...
.
The testimony of Pablo Díaz, the last survivor to be released, served as the basis for a song with the same title by Canarian
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
singer Rogelio Botanz.
See also
- National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons.
- Ramón CampsRamón CampsRamón Juan Camps was an Argentine general and the head of the Buenos Aires Provincial Police during the military dictatorship known as the National Reorganization Process...
. - Miguel EtchecolatzMiguel EtchecolatzMiguel Osvaldo Etchecolatz is a former senior Argentine police officer, who worked in the Buenos Aires Provincial Police during the first years of the military dictatorship. Etchecolatz was an active participant in the "anti-subversion operation" known as the National Reorganization Process...
. - Christian von Wernich.