“As mothers, we defend life,” explained Lydia “Taty” Almeida over the phone, whose son Alejandro, a 20-year-old and first-year medical student, was “disappeared” by the military in Argentina 25 years ago.

This morning, Almeida flew to New York from Buenos Aires with three other mothers from the Plaza de Mayo to participate in various acts of solidarity with the Mothers of the New York Disappeared – families of prisoners incarcerated under the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

This is a first demonstration against a New York institution for the Argentinean group, whose historical protest in front of the Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires began on Thursday, April 30, 1977 and has continued every Thursday since. On Thursday, April 15, at 1:30 p.m., they will join the New York mothers at Governor George Pataki’s office to demand the abolition of the draconian state laws used against drug-related offenders.

This event was planned two months ago in Buenos Aires, when the Mothers of the New York Disappeared visited the Argentinean group. The New York organization, founded in 1998, represents the families of over 19,000 prisoners who are serving time in the state jails for drug crimes – 95 percent of them are African American and Latino.

Among the people who visited the Argentinean mothers in South America was Anthony Papa, one of the organization’s co-founders who served a 12-year sentence for possession and selling four and a half ounces of cocaine. Also in the group was Julie Colón, whose mother, Melita Oliveira, was incarcerated 13 years, after she was discovered carrying five and a half ounces of cocaine in JFK airport. Oliveira had no previous criminal record.

Moved by the stories told by their New York visitors, on February 16 the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo published an open letter in El Diario/LA PRENSA directed to Gov. Pataki, in which they demanded the abolition of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, established in 1973.

“After learning from the Mothers of the New York Disappeared of the inhumane conditions of arrest and prolonged sentences in the state of New York, we asked that Governor George Pataki repeal the Rockefeller Laws, since they violate basic human rights and are a crime against the dignity of the person,” the letter stated.

“The Rockefeller Laws seem horrific, the sentences are inhumane; the State is violating the human rights by punishing poor people and people of color,” affirmed Almeida.

Early this morning four Argentine mothers arrived in New York, their heads covered with white scarves. They came to meet with relatives of the prisoners of drug crimes and to attend various protests against these laws.

At noon, they will participate in a press conference at the Mayor’s office along with local politicians and activists. During the next week, they will meet with other people, including New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, State Assemblyman Sheldon Silver, and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

Randy Cerdico, co-founder with Papa of the Mothers of the New York Disappeared, said that the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo were the inspiration for the creation of their group, even though they understand that the causes of each group are not exactly the same.

Councilwoman Margarita Lopez (D-Manhattan), in charge of sending the formal invitation to the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo several weeks ago, was very grateful for their visit.

“When the situation was explained to them, that the mothers of the prisoners are suffering, that they can’t have access to their kids for 20 or 30 years, it was not necessary to say anything else to them,” commented Lopez.

Almeida called to mind Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo founder Azucena Villaflor’s motto for the Argentine mothers’ group: “Alone we can achieve nothing; united we are strong.”