Oh, and it's María SAMPALLO. In most Spanish-speaking countries, people have two surnames, the father's and the mother's. The father's surname is used when giving only one surname (i.e. it's not a middle name, as there is no such thing in Spanish).

M Rodriguez, Barcelona,

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080405/world/argentina_rights_trial_children

"There was never any formal adoption. These people registered me as their daughter, with a false birth date and birth place, from a false birth certificate," Maria said.

"Ask yourself if a person who has stolen a baby ... constantly lied about her origins, mistreated her daily, humiliated and deceived her, if a person who has done all that can know and feel love. I say, no," she said."

What went on in Argentina was a particularly egregious form of social engineering. The couple with whom Maria was placed were complicit in the crimes of the regime because they knew the circumstances under which she'd been orphaned, were willing to benefit from that and to keep the truth from her for the rest of her life.
Jesse Sinaiko's assessment is right on the mark.

Lisa Sainsbury, St. Catharines, Canada

The so-called military dictatorship took over the government with the support of the vast majority of the people, who were frightened and exasperated with the murders and kidnappings of the leftwing insurgents. No court dared to convict any terrorist. Of course, as in Germany after the war, it is hard to find anyone who now admits to having supported the then government. It is an unpalatable truth that the vast majority of the disappeared richly deserved what they got. Of course there were excesses and atrocities. This happens when law and order break down. Let's not judge people from the comfort of a law-abiding democracy. Many innocents are killed on the roads every year. I have not heard any suggestions that we therefore ban cars. Let's face it: the military saved Argentina from the horrors of another Cuba.

Peter Cressall, La Lucila, Argentina

Jose, from Jersey: Allende and Pinochet were Chilean, not Argentinian. But yes, the CIA was involved in ALL the dictatorships that took place in Latin America.

Natalia, Leeds, UK

I don't think any of us can imagine how it feels to find out your adoptive parents participated in the theft of us from our parents. You'd realise, first of all, that these people supported the dictatorship, and that your own parents died only because they didn't.

In that situation I dare say I'd be so angry that I'd be willing to see them go to prison, as a just memorial for the deaths of my own parents, who had committed no crime in the first place.

iain carstairs, bedford, uk

Dan'l, if you speak with the same Argentines I have spoken with, they will tell you the following:

That South America basically sticks togegher, until such time as someone external (hint who that might be) comes along to disrupt the fraternity.

When the Falklands war occured (aka Las Malvinas), the US bribed Chile to turn its back on its neighbour, and allow Chile to be used as a staging point for the use of planes against Argentina.

This has caused Argentinians to have intense hatred for their neighbours, which is a crying shame.

This is a typical approach to war, and the control of resources and economies - divide and conquer.

Roberto Maietta, London,

Oh my gosh people. I can't believe some of the commentors here are suggesting that Maria be content with being KIDNAPPED?!?!?! If you have children, lets pretend they were kidapped, by your logic, if you didn't "get them back" and were even murdered by the kidnappers, since the kidnappers raised the children it then becomes OKAY to murder and kidnap?

kidnapping and murder is nothing to take lightly.

Gershom, SouthernCalifornia,

I've been involved in this area (enforced disappearance and adoption), and in many cases the adoptive parents murdered the birth parents, ordered the murder or were complicit in some other way (the thinking was often that an upbringing by strong supporters of the junta could somehow "cure" the children of the politics of their parents). I have no doubt that Barragan's adoptive parents loved her. They may well, as suggested by another poster, have been desperate for a child. That doesn't excuse their actions in any way.

While Maria may not have known her birth parents, put yourself in her shoes - how would you feel if you discovered the people you thought were your parents were not and had been complicit in the murder of your birth parents? Sadly, although in not such extreme circumstances, improper and needless removal of children from their families happens more often than we may think - mostly by people thinking that the end justifies the means.

Tim, London,

Dan'l from Portland, Maine:

If you want to know about the US propping dictatorial governments in Latinamerica, you can see http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/. Their info is based mainly on declassification of US government documents.

Julio Tomas, Mendoza, Argentina

An adopted child that lost her parents in such a hideous manner trying to make justice prevail, bravo. I totally share my respect and sympathies for her bravery. We should condemn anyone for taking part (indirectly or directly) in that dirty war affair, torture and misery, suppression of constitutional rights etc. A lot about Falkland’s war is told but nothing is said about the dirty war inside Argentinian society.

John Pilger's documentary (War on democracy) enlightened
many hearts and minds in this country but its audience was restricted. Unfortunately that it was exhibited in a late evening. I wonder why.

On the other hand, Mrs Thatcher is frequently portrayed as a "great stateswoman" for many "democrats" in this country. I ask how this assertion can be made when she actively supported another disgraceful dictator, Augusto Pinochet, in Chile. I deduce that the idea behind it is that only British people deserve democracy

Lucia, LONDON, Brazil/UK

"This woman is crazy and bitter. Her biological parents had already died-this couple raised her and she responds by putting them in prison. Illegal adoptions are wrong but her reaction was awful.

..julian, denver, us"

No, this couple STOLE her. It's not quite the same thing as if they had only raised her! It is actually quite different!

Her parents did not die in a freak gardening accident. They died at the hands of people who were friends of her adoptive parents. And they probably died after torture.

Please think about it a little more!

iain carstairs, bedford, uk

The hateful self-righteousness of this woman, in confronting the past of others while standing upright on her ideological soap box is very disturbing, even repelling. These people did bring her up after all.

Bogdan, Bucharest, Romania

To Jose,

Salvador Allende was the democratically elected head of Chile's goverment and Pinochet the general who seized power in a military coup.

Juan, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Juan Demarchi, Buenos Aires, Federal District

Jose, you're confusing Chile with Argentina. Allende was elected in Chile. Two totally different countries.

David, Mosta, Malta

John Boyle says it better than any of the other posters. And he's the only one who actually LIVES there.

As for the people who don't like this woman because "those people took her in," no - as she said, they were her KIDNAPPERS.

These regimes were like the Nazi and fascist governments of the 1930s and 40s in Europe - ultra-right wing, murderous, corrupt, and paranoid.

They killed 30,000 people in unbelieveable ways, like dumping them alive out of helicopters over the ocean.

And we are supposed to have sympathy for the "adoptive" parents? What planet are you people on? How would you feel if it happened to you? Where is your imagination?

Jesse Sinaiko, Chicago, IL

A good Argentinian film to watch that may help you to understand the situation is, "The Official Story."
And, yes, the US gov, in conjunction with the IMF and the World Bank were beginning their shock and awe experiments for creating a free market economy using Argentina (Chile, Brasil, Bolivia, etc.) as a testing ground. Needless to say, it was failing so miserably that the people of Argentina (and, elsewhere) were fighting back. Those who fought back (unionists, teachers, etc) were disappeared and killed or tortured. Pregnant protesters were killed and their babies conveniently handed over to greedy, neo-con adoptive parents who were unable to conceive a child of their own. Adoptive parents who knew good and well where the child had come from, rather than protest the disappearances, deaths, and tortures, chose to play along and get what they wanted. I'd say that Maria Eugenia Sampallo Barragán showed enormous political courage to right a wrong.
L

Linda, Fort Collins, CO USA

This young woman did know her natural mother, as she was with her for 40 weeks.

Also, her body remembers the trauma of being ripped from her loving mother.

The bond between mother and child is life long.

Each child only has ONE mother.

Other women and men may raise it, feed it, etc , but they can never be the natural parents, no matter how much they try to fool themselves of this.

It is a good truth to show at this time with the increase in needy adults seeking other people's children to adopt in the hope of filling their own needs and feeding their egos.

Let this be a lesson for UK at the moment when rewarding Local Authorities for stealing babies from natural mothers.

Mothers are forever, and they will fight to the death to bring justice to this planet.

Try stealing a cub from a lioness and see what reaction you get.??

Catherine Mills., London, UK

Maria seems warped and twisted, perhaps she has been taught to be that way. BTW, the very same things happened in the DDR, Cuba, and the Soviet Union, but on a much larger scale.

Jed, Jacksonville,

Jose has Chile and Argentina mixed up, Salvador Allende was elected by the Chileans, the first country in the world to elect a Communist leader, but they were rioting in the streets to get rid of him by the time he was deposed.

Sam, Surrey,

It's not about the babies - it's the Grandmothers getting revenge as anyone knows who has seen the Plaza de Mayo In Buenos Aires. So they should, but don't believe that Maria Barragan or the Argentinian courts are doing it for the adopted babies. It's just a new way of getting their own back on the Junta supporters . No reason why not but it seems strange to me that Maria should want to attack those who took her in. Perhaps they were bad parents - but who knows?

David Kay, vevey, Switzerland

i remember pretty well. wasn't the CIA involved in the throwing out of Salvador Allende, the head of a government democractically ellected by the argentinian? wasn't the CIA behind General Pinochet anf the coup that saw Allende murdered?

The USA have a great history. A bit repetitive though.

jose, st helier, jersey

I know its a pretty horrible thing to happen, but this woman knew nobody else who raised her than her adoptive parents. She would have had no memory of her real parents. It has to make you wonder over the nature of the relationship with her adoptive parents over the years, and how such hatred could have arisen. As far as I know the parents themselves didnt kill her real parents, and it is entirely possible that if she wasnt adopted the child would have been killed, and maybe the adoptive parents knew this, and tried to save the kid.
If that was the case, and there was a generally positive relationship (why else would anyone adopt a child), how could it break down to such an extent that you would want your adoptive parents to do 25 years of time ? I just cant get my head around that. Sure my identity is important to me, but being half English, half German with a bunch of Irish blood in me id have to put a saw to my body to resolve my loyalties.

Jules, Luebeck, Germany

While no child should ever be stolen, I can't help but wonder if some of the adoptive parents were just desperate to have a child --and like many affluent couples throughout the developed world, willing to do whatever it took to secure one. Is it possible that some of them nurtured and loved the children they took? is it possible that some of the children gone instead to blood relatives who were not caring (either by nature or out of shame for the dissident birth parents)?

Alicia, Washington, USA/DC

I've nothing useful to add to this story, but the horror of it is overwhelming. To believe that those you thought of as your parents were in fact involved in your kidnapping is the stuff of nightmares. It is something that will stay with this woman for the rest of her life. I doubt she can now put this all behind her but one can hope.

Derek Smith, Brighton, UK

Karen Kraft, I supposed the US "propped up" the USSR, since we had an embassy there? The US's record is flawed (to be charitable), but, check the facts. Chile has a the greater complaint against the US, and (from what I've seen of my business partners down there) bear little resentment towards the US (certain political and historical buffs excepted). Unless there's a new story to tell, I don't know of any efforts by the US gov't to prop up any Argentine gov't. (I could be wrong, though. I'm open to learn.)

Dan'l, Portland, US/Maine

The babies should have been returned to their families. Instead they were kidnapped and given to supporters or friends of the regime.

The children lost their family, their identity, and their history.

The adoptive parents should all be prosecuted for kidnapping.

Abby, Chicago, USA/Illinois

She is transfered like some human asset to a couple favored by a regime that murdered her parents, and she is supposed to be grateful? By the same logic, would you ask the children of raped women be grateful to their fathers?

David Masu, Zürich,

This woman is crazy and bitter. Her biological parents had already died-this couple raised her and she responds by putting them in prison. Illegal adoptions are wrong but her reaction was awful.

julian, denver, us

The military dictatorship that siezed control in Argentina in 1976,had the police the courts the prisons and the tax $ all in their hands, and they chose mass murder and torture instead.
Our last president Nester Kirchner was arested by the militars and could easily have just become another vanished person. And the present president of chile was also arrested by Pinochets right wing goons. She survived but her father died in prison,she is now one of the most respected world leaders.
This should give you an idea of the decent good people that were being murdered by the right wing dictatorships.
They were being killed because they had ideas about helping poor people to get up off their knees.
The Americans didn't hear the word compassion they heard the word communism and they launched operation condor and destroyed democracy in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brasil,
We all now have left of center governments booming economys and human rights.
These tyrants deserve Jail.

John Boyle, Buenos Aires,

It's good that they are trying to rectify this, but still - I can't help but feel slightly turned off by this woman. They may have had a role in her parents' deaths, but they also raised her from infancy, and it seems kind of mean-spirited to go after them so personally.

Brett, Salt Lake City, USA

Although the behaviour of the Right in Latin America is unforgivable, the left is just as violent and cruel. Just like Africa, it is a poor benighted world without a strong well developed Middle Class. Perhaps things will improve in countries like Argentina, Chile and post Castro Cuba. But the rest?
PETER KALDOR

Peter Kaldor, Woking, U.K.

Strange, nowhere in this article does it even imply that the US supported, condoned or "propped up" the Argentine regimes and their crimes. They had "relations" with the government of Argentina, as they do with every nation on earth, friend or foe.

Perhaps the point should be that Argentina is trying to uncover and remedy its past, and the US supports that, too...

Ralph Towner, Sarasota, FL

I must say, good job USA! Way to prop up the worst regimes in South America!

Karen Kraft, Santa Cruz, CA