The prisoner who was forced to celebrate a World Cup victory

Miriam Lewin was never much interested in football. Growing up in Buenos Aires, she cared far more about politics than the team her family supported. But in 1978, when Argentina won the World Cup, she found herself among the celebrating fans, hidden in plain sight as a political prisoner.

A year earlier, aged 19, Miriam had been abducted by Argentina's military dictatorship and became one of the country's desaparecidos – the "disappeared." Detained in secret and tortured because of her political activism, she was later forced to work for the regime, translating foreign news reports and helping produce propaganda aimed at improving its image abroad. From inside the prison system, she also learned of the dictatorship's notorious "death flights."

When Argentina hosted – and won – the World Cup, the military government used the tournament to project an image of national pride and unity. Miriam and other prisoners were taken onto the streets to join the jubilant crowds. Decades later, after becoming a journalist, she helped uncover the regime's crimes and bring former members of the military junta to justice.

This interview contains references to suicide and descriptions of torture.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producers: Marcia Veiga and Harry Graham

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(Photo: In this black and white photograph Miriam Lewin looks thoughtfully into the camera with a smile. She has dark shoulder-length hair and is dressed smartly, wearing a white shirt with a striped sleeveless jacket and smart black trousers. She is sitting on a chair and has her hands clasped together on her lap. Credit: Miriam Lewin)