About

Victoria Villarruel works to expose the “forgotten victims of terror" in Argentina. The story of the Argentinian military coup and the military dictatorship’s barbaric crushing of subversive movements in 1976 is well known; however, the tragedy prior to the coup at the hands of Marxist guerrilla groups is often overlooked. Civilians, police, and diplomats were kidnapped and murdered. Others became causalities of the bombings in their hometowns. Minors were recruited for revolutionary armies. Despite the extent of this tragedy, trials did not take place, and compensation for the victims was not sought. This has resulted in a generation of Argentinians having grown up without a full understanding of that period in history.

From a young age, Villarruel was interested in learning more about these victims of terrorism. After receiving her law degree, she established the Center for Legal Studies on Terrorism and its Victims (CELTYV) with a mission of documenting the terrorist crimes committed from 1969 to 1979. Through CELTYV, Villaruel promotes legal rights for Argentinian victims of terrorism while reconstructing their story and providing legal counseling for their families.

Her most recent book, Los Llaman… Jóvenes Idealistas (They Call Them… Young Idealists), explores the terrorism of the 70s from the perspective of the victims. It reflects on the dangers of armed groups in society, of young people who search for ideals and find answers in violence to ascertain their most urgent needs. The book seeks to understand a difficult time in Argentinian history, which, more than thirty years later, still affects the lives of Argentinians. The book presents stories of individuals who directly suffered terrorist attacks of the “idealistic youth." Villarruel believes that shedding light on this dark decade can help secure a more just future for all Argentinian.