Fifty years after the military coup, the “complete memory” video released by the Casa Rosada once again installed a figure that bothers different sectors equally: Miriam Fernandez, recovered granddaughter No. 127, whose personal story encapsulates the deepest tensions around the memory, identity and justice in Argentina.
Fernández—who also recognizes his biological identity as Miriam Poblete Moyano— was born in captivity in June 1977. His parents, María del Carmen “Pichona” Moyano and Carlos Simón Poblete, Montonero militants, had been kidnapped months before and remain missing. According to judicial reconstructions, his mother was transferred to the ESMAwhere she gave birth under the control of the repressors. “I was born at ESMA, I was the first birth at ESMA. Since it was so traumatic, they incorporated an infirmary for parturients“, he said in dialogue with Delta 90.3.
A few days after being born, the baby was adopted. Former commissioner Armando Osvaldo Fernández, a proven member of the repressive apparatus in Mendoza, registered her as his own daughter with his wife, Iris Luffi. For forty years, Miriam grew up under that identity. Only in 2017, after a DNA analysis ordered by the Justice Department – which, according to her own testimony, she was forced to undergo – was her true parentage confirmed. The case led to a trial for abduction of minors during state terrorism. In 2021, Fernández and his wife were convicted, and the sentences were subsequently reviewed and aggravated in higher instances, in line with the classification of crimes against humanity.
However, far from the usual narrative, Fernández built a unique public position. “I assume myself to be Miriam Poblete Moyano, but I do not identify myself as her, because for 40 years I was Miriam Fernández“, she explained. And she defended those who raised her: “My relationship with those who adopted me, today, is excellent. I have had to hear the worst things and I can bear being addressed as expropriators”.
Along these lines, he relativized his role within the repressive system: “I do not consider that they have been part of a repressive scheme. They were not part. The only crime they committed was keeping a daughter who was not theirs“. He also questioned the judicial process: “The prosecution, during my trial, did not let me speak. He omitted my statement. They can’t deny me what I experienced”.
One of the most controversial aspects of his testimony has to do with his relationship with his biological family, with whom he claims to have no connection. “I have no relationship with my biological family“, he stated. And he denounced economic conflicts after the restitution of his identity: “They did not compensate me, because my family collected it. On my mother’s side, my grandfather got paid; on my dad’s side, my aunts charged”.
According to her story, there were even irregular maneuvers to exclude her: “My uncles from San Juan falsified a death certificate to clear me as an heir“And he went further in his criticism: “The issue of human rights and compensation is real“In this context, he maintained that for years he has been unsuccessfully claiming:”It has been more than 9 years since I have had anything that corresponds to me by inheritance”.
His participation in the official video also has a political dimension. As he explained, it was summoned through Nicolás Márquez, one of the ideologues of President Javier Milei: “It is through Nicolás Márquez that I approach the government. He approached me, asked me if I could give my testimony, without obligation, and I said yes.“The documentary was directed by Santiago Oría and generated controversy both for its approach and for its low impact on networks.
Despite this, Fernández sought to distance himself from a partisan reading: “The only thing I did in that video was tell my story. I did not speak for the Government, neither on one side nor on the other.“And he added:”It is not my intention to generate conflict and hatred. I position myself in the middle and try to be impartial.”.
His story also incorporates another less frequent dimension: the experience from the environment of the forces. “I suffered as a family member of the force when my father was detained. We were persecuted and discriminated against“, he said, marking a double belonging that makes his view more complex. He also described the personal impact of March 24: “It is a day of great suffering. And even more so when I found out about my biological history, knowing that I had lost my parents.“And he recalled the climate of his surroundings before the restitution: “In my family, in my environment, they already knew that I was the daughter of disappeared people.”.
The story of Miriam Fernández—born in a clandestine center, raised by a convicted repressor, restored by justice and today faced with her biological family—condenses multiple layers of Argentina’s recent past.
Half a century after the coup, his voice —uncomfortable, controversial and disruptive— once again shows that memory continues to be a disputed territory. And that even in the most emblematic cases, certainties coexist with stories that challenge traditional frameworks.
by RN
Image gallery
