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Witness History: The assassination of the Mirabal sisters

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The Assassination of the Mirabal Sisters

26/11/2021 GMT

The assassination of the Mirabal sisters

BBC World Service - Witness History, The assassination of the Mirabal sisters

Three sisters, all political activists, were murdered in 1960 in the Dominican Republic

The three sisters, all political activists in the Dominican Republic, were beaten to death on the orders of the dictator, General Trujillo. Their murders in 1960 sparked outrage.

The three Mirabal sisters were leading figures in the Dominican Republic's opposition movement against the dictator, General Rafael Trujillo.  Patria, Maria Teresa and the most prominent of the three, Minerva, were all killed on the 25th of November 1960.  They were dragged from their car and beaten to death on the orders of General Trujillo. Their murders sparked outrage in the Caribbean country, and are thought to have been a motivating factor in the assassination of Trujillo himself six months later.  In 2016, Rebecca Kesby spoke to Minerva's daughter, Minou Tavarez Mirabal, who explained why her mother and aunts were called 'the butterflies' and how to this day people still decorate their houses with three butterflies in tribute to them.

Photo: The three Mirabal Sisters, Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa (Credit: Mirabal family collection)

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