Uruguayan Jail Cell Door

The nation of Uruguay was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1973 to 1986. During this period, harsh military regimes dominated many South and Central American countries. For more than a decade in Uruguay, government and military officials committed countless acts of kidnapping, imprisonment, and execution. Many of the victims were students, activists, and individuals who criticized the dictatorship. The Uruguayan government operated a harsh and secretive administration, and the exact number of its victims is still unclear today. The door featured in this image once guarded a jail cell that housed political prisoners. It now belongs to the collections at the Museo de la Memoria in Montevideo, an institution that commemorates the victims, known and unknown, of the dictatorship.