One of Argentina’s most respected constitutional experts has criticised new restrictions from the government limiting access to public information.
Lawyer Andrés Gil Domínguez said in a radio interview that the decree issued by President Javier Milei’s administration is “unconstitutional” and “anti-democratic.”
Civil society organisations, opposition politicians and press organisations last week condemned the move to alter transparency rules.
Milei issued a government decree on August 30 altering a 2016 law introduced by the Mauricio Macri administration.
The new rules redefine the scope of the 2016 law. Amongst others, it prevents access to "the working papers" and "deliberations" of officials, as well as information about their private life.
Speaking in an interview with a local radio station, Gil Domínguez suggested that trials seeking damages from journalists could arise in the wake of Milei’s new rules and said their work would be of increasing importance
“Any person or journalist which requests public information and has this decree applied, applied this decree, can go to courts and declare it unconstitutional, but, regrettably, the Supreme Court, in coordination with Milei, have restricted access to courts,” stated Gil Domínguez.
“The work of journalists as a whole will be important,” he added.
The constitutional expert said that the Milei administration was attempting to “discredit” anyone who thinks differently.
Referencing recent Milei’s nominations for Supreme Court vacancies, Gil Domínguez said that “there are people with more consistency to nominate” than Manuel García-Mansilla, Milei’s favourite to replace Juan Carlos Maqueda.
He also criticised the President for nominating two men over a female candidate, calling for a Supreme Court with “greater ideological plurality” and “also gender perspective.”
– TIMES/NA
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