Uruguay may be one of the smallest countries in South America, but it’s also where one of the darkest moments in the continent’s history took place. On 27 June 1973, a coup d’etat ushered in a dictatorship that would rule the country with an iron fist for 12 years. During this time, more than 6,000 political prisoners were taken, out of a population of 3 million. Still today, around 200 Uruguayans have never been found, called the “desaparecidos” or disappeared. Their families continue to fight for the truth, to find the bodies of their loved ones and demand justice against war criminals.
We learn more in this Focus report by Eléonore Vanel, adapted to English by Anca Ulea.
