Argentina’s ESMA Museum Designated World Heritage Site
The ESMA Museum and Site of Memory in Argentina has been designated as a World Heritage site by a United Nations conference held in Saudi Arabia. This recognition marks a significant moment as it is rare for a museum of memory related to recent history to be included on the list.
The ESMA, also known as the former Navy School of Mechanics, was once a clandestine detention and torture center during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. It now serves as a museum and site of memory, housing government offices and human rights organizations.
President Alberto Fernández expressed his gratitude to UNESCO for this designation in a video message, acknowledging that the Navy School of Mechanics represented the darkest aspects of state-sponsored terrorism. He emphasized the importance of preserving memory to ensure that the horrors experienced there are never forgotten or denied.
In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly, President Fernández highlighted the significance of actively preserving the memory that denialists try to conceal. He stated that justice, rather than vengeance, was the response to the crimes against humanity committed during the dictatorship. It is estimated that around 5,000 people were detained at the ESMA, many of whom were tortured and subsequently disappeared.
The ESMA held another grim aspect of the dictatorship—the maternity ward, where pregnant detainees from other illegal detention centers were housed until they gave birth. Tragically, their babies were later taken from them by military officers.
The designation of the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory as a World Heritage site is seen as a strong response to those who deny or downplay state terrorism and the crimes of the civil-military dictatorship. Argentina’s Human Rights Secretary, Horacio Pietragalla Corti, expressed his admiration for this international recognition, emphasizing its significance in the country’s history.
Argentina has already taken major steps to bring crimes from the dictatorship era to trial, holding nearly 300 trials related to crimes against humanity since 2006. This commitment to justice is acknowledged and celebrated by Vice President Cristina Fernández, who served as president from 2007 to 2015.
The ESMA’s inclusion on the World Heritage list was influenced by its representation of the illegal repression carried out by numerous military dictatorships in the region. This recognition comes at a time when the vice presidential candidate to right-wing populist Javier Milei has criticized efforts to hold former military officials accountable for their actions.
The ESMA Museum and Site of Memory’s designation as a World Heritage site not only serves as a tribute to the thousands of disappeared individuals in Argentina but also sets a precedent for leading by example in terms of policies of Memory, Truth, and Justice.
