Argentina's Macri decrees domestic law enforcement role for armed forces
Argentine President Mauricio Macri announced the signing of two decrees today extending domestic security and intelligence duties for the nation's armed forces.
The decrees rescind a 30 year-old ban on the use of military personnel in law enforcement roles, a bill passed by Argentina's Congress in 1988 and signed by then President Raúl Alfonsín in response to human rights atrocities in the 1970s.
Alfonsín had been elected to office in 1983, following a seven-year military dictatorship that, according to declassified records, left at least 22,000 dissidents killed. Most were known to be non-violent, and some were killed for personal reasons or in order to seize their property or businesses.
Human rights groups have condemned today's decrees as both authoritarian and unconstitutional.
The nation's leading human rights advocacy group, the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) points to Macri's "policy of creating domestic enemies" - a policy that resulted in the murder of two indigenous activists by Gendarmerie forces last year, and in over 20 opponents jailed without charges, evidence and/or trial for over two years in some cases.
"I believe the decrees will be declared unconstitutional," Argentine constitutional lawyer Eduardo Barcesat said. "They resorted to 'decrees of necessity' in order to avoid debate in Congress, as if this were a simple administrative decision when what it does is change current legislation."
Macri, who announced the decrees this morning at an army base north of Buenos Aires, gave few specifics, referring instead to the need to "secure our country's sovereignty and integrity" - a claim rejected by opposition figures, given Macri's relinquishing of economic policy to the IMF last month as part of a $50 billion bailout.
The decrees were signed just hours after the closing of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Buenos Aires this weekend, during which Macri repeatedly assured attendees that "Argentina has left the past behind."
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Argentina's Macri pauses as he announces decrees giving the nation's armed forces law enforcement and intelligence powers for the first time in 30 years.
The announcement came with promises of military wage increases - following the cancellation of this year's independence day parade due to discontent over an 8% hike amid 36% inflation.
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