A group of six La Libertad Avanza deputies recently visited individuals convicted and sentenced to jail time for crimes against humanity committed during Argentina's brutal 1976-1983 military dictatorship.
The six visited include infamous 'repressors' (as they are commonly described locally) such as Alfredo Astiz, Ricardo Cavallo and Raúl Guglielminetti.
The visit was reportedly aimed at “looking at the living conditions” of the detainees.
President Javier Milei's government, which critics have described as "denialists," has sparked an internal conflict in the ruling coalition.
“We went to see former combatants who waged a war against Marxist subversion following the orders of a constitutional government,” wrote libertarian lawmaker Beltrán Benedit, who organised the visit, in a message disseminated on WhatsApp.
He also dewtailed that he was accompanied on the visit by fellow national deputies Lourdes Arrieta, Guillermo Montenegro, Rocío Bonacci, Alida Ferreyra and María Fernanda Araujo.
The leader from Entre Ríos held that the charges against these detainees “have not been proven, their sentence is not final and in many cases, they are made up”.
He also anticipated that he will file a pleading claiming that “human rights are not complied with because those who were part of it (the terrorists) today are judges who rule on the basis of revenge, ideology and business."
The meeting took place last week, but it became known after a publication by te La Política Online (LPO).
Benedit stated: “With its article it shows it is closer to leftie terrorism than the truth, they are hurt by the humanitarian visit."
He further said that President Javier Milei “fights this ideology in politics” and that they would publicly report the judges who “put this together and ruled in favour of this charade”.
Perfil reported this week that many La Libertad Avanza lawmakers did not know about the visit in advance. Figures from Lower House Speaker Martín Menem's inner circle said the top official “knew nothing” about the meeting.
“It wasn’t something conceived by the bloc,” ruling party sources told Parlamentario.com.
Benedit and the other deputies “went to see all the inmates aged 70 and above to see in what condition they were," added the report.
The news caused an internal conflict in the libertarian bloc. Besides defining it as “the activity of a minority group,, they clarified that they have no intention of introducing any bill related to any possible house arrest benefit for those sentenced for this type of crimes.
After the visit became known, different social and political spaces and groups repudiated it. The CTA-A autonomous Argentine workers’ union described the event as an example of “disdain for the Argentine people” and human rights organisations expressed their unrest.
Among others, the group H.I.J.O.S. Children for Identify and Justice against Oblivion and Silence published: “Members of Milei’s government are accused of visiting genocides in prison. We will tell you who they are: Alfredo Astiz: genocide from the ESMA Naval Academy sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity. A.k.a.: the Blonde Angel, the Angel of Death, Gustavo the Kid;."
Regarding Raúl Antonio Guglielminetti, they posted on X: “A.k.a.: Major Gustavino. Former intelligence agent. Sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity committed at the clandestine centre Automotores Orletti, part of the Condor Plan."
Lawmakers from the Unión Cívila also issued a press release repudiating the visit by La Libertad Avanza deputies “to a group of repressors sentenced for heinous acts in custody at a National Penitentiary Service Unit."
“They should be aware that visiting genocides and having a pleasant chat with those who violated the most basic rights of citizens is an affront to victims, relatives and the entire Argentine people who 40 years ago decided to live in democracy and protected by the Constitution”, they added on a post on social networks.
Unión por la Patria deputy Carolina Gaillard, “vehemently repudiated" the visit,
“This sad and regrettable event shows the willingness of the government to go backwards in terms of human rights and guarantee the impunity of people who committed heinous acts, torture and kidnapped children during the saddest time in our history," she wrote,
--TIMES/PERFIL
Comments