Repression Intensifies in Argentina After President Empowers the Military
Repression Intensifies in Argentina After President Empowers the Military
BY
Liz Mason-Deese Truthout
PUBLISHED
August 13, 2018
Weeks after Argentina signed a deal for a new $50 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and only days after hosting G20 leaders in Buenos Aires, Argentine President Mauricio Macri issued a decree July 23 that would allow the countrys armed forces to intervene in questions of domestic security.
The decree violates laws passed after the countrys last military dictatorship an authoritarian military junta that took power in a coup in 1976 and used force and repression to silence all opposition ended in 1983, which limited the role of the armed forces, and points to a disturbing trend of militarization and repression under the right-wing government. The decision sparked immediate outrage from human rights organizations and social movements who have since organized massive protests around the country.
In his statement, President Macri referred to issues of national security, drug-trafficking and protecting the national border to justify giving the military expanded powers. He also stated a more general need for the armed forces to modernize in response to 21st century threats, including internal threats. These statements have worried many human rights organizations who fear a return to the type of repression experienced under the dictatorship when armed forces were likewise allowed to intervene in domestic issues.
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