Adriana Lelia Calvo (16 December 1947 – 12 December 2010) was an Argentine physicist, university professor, and researcher. After being kidnapped by the military government during the Argentine civil-military dictatorship, she became a

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

activist, and was the first witness to testify at the

Trial of the Juntas The Trial of the Juntas () was the judicial trial of the members of the ''de facto'' military government that ruled Argentina during the dictatorship of the '' Proceso de Reorganización Nacional'' (''el Proceso''), which lasted from 1976 to 1 ...

in 1985.

Biography

Adriana Calvo was born in Argentina in 1947. She earned a licentiate in physics from the

National University of La Plata The National University of La Plata (, UNLP) is a national public research university located in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It has over 90,000 regular students, 10,000 teaching staff, 17 departments and 10 ...

(UNLP) in 1970. Until 1977, she worked as a teacher and researcher at UNLP's Faculty of Exact Sciences, after which she was a professor of physics at the Faculty of Engineering of the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...

(UBA). She was active in teachers' unions at both institutions, and is recognized as one of the main founders of the Asociación Gremial Docente (AGD). On 4 February 1977, she was arrested at her home in Tolosa by agents of the civil-military dictatorship. At the time, she was six months pregnant. Her husband, the chemist (a professor at the UBA Faculty of Engineering and a

CONICET The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (, CONICET) is an Argentine government agency which directs and co-ordinates most of the scientific and technical research done in universities and institutes. History The National Scient ...

researcher), was also detained. Calvo was held clandestinely in various offices of the

Buenos Aires Provincial Police The Buenos Aires Provincial Police (, informally ''Policía Bonaerense'') is the police service responsible for policing the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina. Organisation It is one of the biggest police services of Argentina, responsible for ...

: the Investigation Brigade of the City of

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...

, the Arana Police Detachment, the 5th Police Station of La Plata, and the Banfield Investigation Brigade, called "

Pozo de Banfield Pozo may refer to: People * Alejandro Pozo (born 1999), Spanish footballer * Ángel del Pozo (1934–2025), Spanish actor * Angelica Pozo, American clay artist * Arnulfo Pozo (born 1945), Ecuadorian cyclist * Arquimedez Pozo (born 1973), Domini ...

". During her transfer to the latter, she gave birth to her third daughter while handcuffed in the back of a military car. Calvo and her newborn daughter were released on 28 April 1977. Immediately afterward, she tried to communicate with the families of other detainees. In the case of Inés Ortega and her son born in captivity, she asked her UNLP colleague, physicist Ana Buenaventura Mocoroa, for help. She was the first witness at the

in 1985. She continued to advocate for human rights, becoming a leader of the (AEDD). After her release, Calvo continued her academic life. She obtained her PhD in physics at UNLP in 1993. She was in turn director of two doctoral students at the UBA Faculty of Engineering between 1996 and 2002. Their theses dealt with

porous media In materials science, a porous medium or a porous material is a material containing pores (voids). The skeletal portion of the material is often called the "matrix" or "frame". The pores are typically filled with a fluid (liquid or gas). The sk ...

and granular materials. Adriana Calvo died in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

on 12 December 2010.

Legacy

Her death was mourned by human rights organizations, her colleagues, and the community in general. Among the numerous notices was a profile published by the three children that Adriana had with Miguel Ángel Laborde, and a recognition by the Senator Norma Morandini, who wrote: On 17 May 2011, Calvo was honored with a series of activities in her memory at

ESPCI Paris ESPCI Paris (officially the École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris, , ''The City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution'') is a grande école founded in 1882 by the city of ...

References

External links

Part 1
an

of Calvo's testimony at the

at El Proyecto Desaparecidos {{DEFAULTSORT:Calvo, Adriana 1947 births 2010 deaths Argentine human rights activists Argentine physicists Argentine women physicists Enforced disappearances in Argentina National University of La Plata alumni Academic staff of the National University of La Plata Academic staff of the University of Buenos Aires Victims of the Dirty War