Mirabal Sisters Death: Why Did The Mirabal Sisters Get Killed? The Mirabal Sisters, a surveyor and political activist, were assassinated during the Trujillo era. Here’s everything you need to know about what happened.
The Mirabal sisters, also known as Las Hermanas Mirabal, were three Dominican sisters who opposed Rafael Trujillo’s (El Jefe) dictatorship. Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa were their names.
They were also involved in covert operations against his regime.
The three sisters were murdered on November 25, 1960. As a result of the assassinations, the Mirabal sisters became “symbols of both popular and feminist resistance.”
In their honor, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25th as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 1999.
It’s International Day for the Elimination of all forms of Violence Against Women & Girls, the 1st of 16 Days of Action to End VAWG & 59 years since the Mirabal sisters were assassinated. Take a moment today to think of all sisters lost to #VAWG, then take action #IDEVAW #16Days pic.twitter.com/aBgBS1MtCl
— Rape Crisis England & Wales (@RapeCrisisEandW) November 25, 2019
Mirabal Sisters Death: Why Did The Mirabal Sisters Get Killed?
The assassination of the Mirabal sisters was carried out by the Trujillo regime.
On November 25, 1960, Patria, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and their driver, Rufino de la Cruz, paid a visit to Maria Teresa and Minerva’s jailed husbands.
Patria’s husband was not imprisoned, but she went with him for moral support. On their way home, they were stopped by Trujillo’s thugs.
De la Cruz and the sisters were separated, strangled, and clubbed to death. The bodies were then gathered and loaded into their Jeep, which was then driven off a mountain road to appear to be an accident.
Adela “Dedé,” the fourth sister who did not participate in any political activities, died of natural causes on February 1, 2014.
Today, the 60th anniversary of the assassination of the Mirabal sisters by dictator Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Their fight for democracy recognized by the UN, designated the day as the Elimination of Violence Against Women each year. Honored to know their family. pic.twitter.com/ShGRY2MHmZ
— Ambassador James Wally Brewster (@WallyBrewster) November 25, 2020
How Are The Three Mirabal Sisters Different?
The three Mirabal sisters were very different in many ways, but they were all revolutionaries.
Patria Mercedes Mirabal Reyes aka Patria was the Mirabal family’s oldest daughter and a wonderful influence to both of her younger sisters. She was willing to give up everything, including her life, if necessary.
Minerva Maria Argentina Mirabal Reyes, nicknamed Minerva, was Patria’s third daughter who accompanied her to Colegio Inmaculada Concepción when she was 12 years old. She was the most outspoken and radical of the Mirabal sisters, and she was detained and mistreated on Trujillo’s orders several times.
Finally, Antonia Maria Teresa Mirabal Reyes, also known as Maria Teresa, was heavily influenced by the ideas of her older sister Minerva and became involved in covert actions against Trujillo’s administration.
