News of dictatorship

First warnings and the myth of ignorance

06-06-2026 06:00 Fifty years ago, two landmark articles were published that exposed the crimes and workings of Argentina’s military dictatorship and its emerging machinery of repression. They remain essential reading today.

by Gustavo Llarull

human rights

Report: Government not supporting campaign to restore dictatorship identities

09-04-2026 19:20 Milei administration has interrupted sending of DNA kits to consulates nationwide for those who have doubts about their identity and suspect they may be children of disappeared.

Editorial

Open wounds

28-03-2026 05:57 Democracy is alive and well despite the wear and tear of over four decades – one consensus still intact despite the increasing polarisation and fragmentation of the political scenario.

AS I SEE IT

A dark cloud that refuses to disperse

28-03-2026 05:55 The coup d’état of 1976, and its aftermath, continue to weigh heavily on the collective Argentine mind.

by James Neilson

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Completing memory

28-03-2026 05:55 It should be well within the means of libertarians (at all odds with dictatorship in theory at least) to challenge the denialist tag often placed on them and one wonders why they do not make more effort to do so.

by Michael Soltys

50th anniversary of 1976 coup

‘Sadism is not a political ideology nor a strategy of war, but a moral perversion’

28-03-2026 05:53 Populism, on the left and on the right, has wrecked havoc, helping to exacerbate the decline of traditional democratic values. It’s a shame that the defence of human rights has become fodder for culture wars and polarisation.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

50th anniversary of 1976 coup

‘Tell us where they are’ – Rights groups renew call for answers

24-03-2026 21:02 Statement read out onstage at coup anniversary march by rights groups, including Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and Madres de Plaza de Mayo, contained sharp criticism of Javier Milei’s government and pleaded for new information about the disappeared and missing grandchildren.

50th anniversary of 1976 coup

Huge crowd floods Plaza de Mayo to mark 50 years since dictatorship coup

24-03-2026 18:19 Tens of thousands of people marched Tuesday in Buenos Aires on a day of remembrance marking 50 years since the coup d’état that installed a bloody dictatorship.

50th anniversary of 1976 coup

Milei government calls for ‘complete history’ of dictatorship era in video

24-03-2026 09:38 La Libertad Avanza restates its position on the 50th anniversary of Argentina’s 1976 coup, highlighting left-wing violence; Seventy-five minute video features interview with recovered granddaughter and son of a former soldier kidnapped by guerrillas.

50th anniversary of 1976 coup

Argentina remembers painful legacy of dictatorship as Milei challenges narrative

24-03-2026 08:54 Human rights groups to lead commemorations as Milei government questions long-standing narratives about dictatorship's crimes; Political battle grows over how nation remembers military regime and victims.

50th anniversary of 1976 coup

Historians discuss Milei, memory and dictatorship, 50 years on from coup

24-03-2026 00:46 Historians Camila Perochena and Felipe Pigna discuss the facts behind the 1976 coup, its current impact on politics and the Milei government’s stance on state terrorism and rights abuses.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Paris campus steps in after Argentine residence removes dictatorship plaque

23-03-2026 18:57 Paris university campus to install dictatorship victims plaque after dispute; Cité Internationale Universitaire will install its own memorial amid concerns over politics and neutrality at Maison de l’Argentine.

50th anniversary of 1976 coup

Voices from the darkness: 20 dictatorship survivors and their tales

23-03-2026 16:43 Half a century after the coup, a look at 20 key survivors who not only lived through the terror, but helped the country understand what happened and prosecute those responsible.

by Darío Silva D'Andrea

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1976 COUP

Survivors recall horror of dictatorship, 50 years on from coup

23-03-2026 14:40 Survivors of Argentina's 1976–1983 dictatorship are representatives of a decimated generation whose stories of torture, death and exile are coming back to life, 50 years after the coup.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF COUP

Football and memory: the dictatorship’s shadow on the game

22-03-2026 00:10 Fifty years after the 1976 coup, the sport continues a long struggle to uncover the fate of the disappeared.

by Dan Edwards

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF COUP

50 tales for 50 years: Book collects personal stories of dictatorship’s crimes

22-03-2026 00:07 'La Retaguardia,' media outlet specialising in coverage of trials probing crimes against humanity during the military dictatorship, has compiled accounts drawn from court files and testimonies given in court.

by Giselle Leclercq

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF COUP

Trials into crimes against humanity press on amid political tensions

21-03-2026 00:09 Thousands investigated, hundreds convicted, but ageing suspects, slow courts and political pressure threaten progress. As the 50th anniversary of coup d’état draws nears, government criticism raises concerns over accountability for crimes against humanity.

by James Grainger

Editorial

Fifty years after

21-03-2026 00:08 We should remember every day that 50 years ago there was a military dictatorship and count our blessings for a democracy equally capable of electing leftist populism and the far-right libertarian administration now ruling.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF COUP

When military coups were normal

21-03-2026 00:07 Two months after the coup, I wrote: “One special danger presented by terrorism of any political colour is its effect on the security forces themselves. Men fighting a treacherous, slippery, hydra-headed foe, which has no scruple as to method, are often tempted to fight back in a similar manner.”

by James Neilson

50th anniversary of coup

Poll shows strong rejection of dictatorship on 50th anniversary of coup

21-03-2026 00:01 Survey finds 71% of Argentines hold negative view of dictatorship, only 7% positive; Broad support for human rights trials ahead of March 24 coup anniversary rallies.

by James Grainger

DECLASSIFICATION DRIVE

Milei government declassifies SIDE intelligence files from 1973-1983

19-03-2026 19:28 Intelligence documents from years during and leading up dictatorship declassified; Publication of historical documents "strengthens" institutional framework of the National Intelligence System and its responsible relationship with society," says government.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF COUP

Argentina’s Church leaders says ‘never again’ as coup anniversary nears

19-03-2026 16:14 One cannot move forward without memory, say Church leaders in communiqué marking 50th anniversary of the March 24, 1976 coup; Bishop warns against authoritarianism and calls on state to “defend democracy” and the most vulnerable.

HUMAN RIGHTS & COURTS

Forensic team identifies 12 new dictatorship victims at Córdoba’s ‘La Perla’ site

11-03-2026 11:19 Court in Córdoba confirms skeletal remains found at La Perla detention centre last year have been identified and pertain to 12 missing dictatorship victims; Former detention centre operated in the La Calera area, on the outskirts of the provincial capital.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Chilean hard-right victory stirs memories of Pinochet dictatorship

15-12-2025 15:49 The election of José Antonio Kast in Chile's run-off revives the ghosts and the deep scars of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Milei's top human rights official quits post

04-12-2025 17:21 Conflicting accounts as Human Rights Secretary Alberto Baños resigns post; Official had been appointed to the position by Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona.

Politics

Government hails Army chief appointment, opposition voices criticism

23-11-2025 10:06 Milei, Caputo, Bullrich and Adorni welcome the arrival of Monteoliva and Presti – but Peronist leaders brands appointment of new Defence chief “enormous step backwards.”

POLITICS

Milei puts military back in charge of defence after 42 years of civilian rule

23-11-2025 09:57 President Javier Milei names Lieutenant General Carlos Presti, current head of the Army, as Argentina’s new defence minister; Opposition criticises move as "step backwards"; Since December 1983, when Raúl Alfonsín began his Presidency following the end of military dictatorship, all post-holders have been civilians.

Chile's Security Crisis

Pining for Pinochet: how crime fanned nostalgia for Chile's dictator

04-11-2025 18:40 As crime rates increase in Chile, public anxiety grows and demands for stronger security measures continue.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Abuelas identify 140th grandchild born in dictatorship captivity

07-07-2025 15:38 Rights group announces discovery of new grandchild of disappeared parents; Child of Graciela Romero and Raúl Metz was born in a secret detention centre in 1977.

POLITICS

Villarruel taps ex-officer who ordered destruction of dictatorship records

28-05-2025 16:59 Vice-President Victoria Villarruel appoints former military Juan Manuel Gestoso Presas to Senate as deputy director of Audit Control.

HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHILE

The battle by Chile torture site dwellers to remain

19-05-2025 13:51 Villa Baviera, a German-themed settlement of 122 souls in southern Chile, looks like the perfect holiday getaway. But Colonia Dignidad, as it was previously known, is a byword for horror during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

STREAMING & SERIES

Netflix’s 'El Eternauta' echoes fight against tyranny, says Darín

30-04-2025 21:20 Ricardo Darín defends Buenos Aires from an alien attack in new Netflix series 'El Eternauta,' based on the legendary graphic novel written by Héctor Oesterheld and illustrated by Francisco Solano López.

DEATH OF POPE FRANCIS

Sister Genevieve, French nun who broke protocol to see Pope's body

25-04-2025 10:09 Her image has gone round the world. Sister Geneviève broke protocol near Pope Francis’ coffin to remember the man he met following the murder of her aunt during Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship.

Human rights

Forensic experts identify remains of law student who disappeared in 1977

09-04-2025 11:13 Activist and law student Virginia Beatriz Tempone, 21, was abducted and forcibly disappeared in Mar del Plata in 1977 during the dictatorship’s time in power.

Human rights

Report: 20 convictions for crimes against humanity last year

27-03-2025 00:01 Annual report from PCCH puts tally at 1,195 convictions, 332 sentences for crimes against humanity since 2006 – the year in which such trials were resumed.

OBITUARY

Dictatorship-era torturer ‘El Turco Julián’ dies in jail

26-03-2025 09:59 Former Federal Police officer Julio Héctor Simón, who tortured his victims at the ‘El Olimpo’ clandestine detention centre and commanded task forces entrusted with the abduction and disappearance of persons, dies aged 84 while serving time for three convictions of crimes against humanity.

MEMORY DAY MARCH

'Nunca más’ – Massive march in Argentina, 49 years after coup

24-03-2025 20:11 Tens of thousands take to streets to remember dictatorship’s crimes and challenge President Javier Milei’s government.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Milei government pushes civil war narrative on coup anniversary

24-03-2025 17:03 Casa Rosada pushes out controversial video on 49th anniversary of coup that installed Videla; Declassification of files announced, call for “complete memory” of dictatorship era; Support for legal appeal over 1974 attack on Army captain and family.

AS I SEE IT

Demography should help the US keep China at bay

15-03-2025 07:46 Despite the fact that demography has always been China’s not so secret weapon, in recent years it has become a major problem that seems certain to put a premature end to the imperial dreams of Xi and his immediate successors.

by James Neilson

PROFILE

Brazil's polarising ex-president mired in legal woes

19-02-2025 15:19 Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro prepares 2026 election campaign atop legacy of disrupting the 'democratic order,' destroying the Amazon rainforest and violating human rights.

MUSIC & POLITICS

Milei vs the Music: Free Milo J show at ex-ESMA blocked

13-02-2025 16:48 National government blocks performance by chart-topping star at ex-ESMA clandestine detention centre, prompting anger from artist’s camp.

CENTRAL AMERICA

Nicaragua legislature cements 'absolute power' of president, wife

31-01-2025 14:58 Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo consolidate their absolute command of power in Nicaragua – as president and “co-president,” they will control all branches of government and civil society, according to the troubled nation's latest constitutional reform.

JIMMY CARTER (1924-2024)

A good man who lived a good life

04-01-2025 06:26 Before Jimmy Carter, the US State Department would only protect its own citizens if they fell foul of a foreign dictator. But under him, thousands of lives were saved by US diplomacy.

by Robert Cox

HUMAN RIGHTS

Almost 50 years on, French families still seeking answers about disappeared relatives

22-11-2024 11:14 Almost 50 years on, families are still seeking answers about French citizens who disappeared in Argentina in the late 1970s, during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship’s reign of terror. Last week’s visit to Buenos Aires by French President Emmanuel Macron put the topic back on the agenda.

OBITUARY

Abuelas and Madres founder Mirta Acuña de Baravalle dies at 99

04-11-2024 14:30 Mirta Acuña de Baravalle, one of the founders of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, has died at the age of 99.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Documentary brings dictatorship 'death flights' trauma to big screen

20-09-2024 16:44 Director Nicolás Gil Lavedra premieres new film 'Traslados,' an investigative documentary on a very dark chapter of the nation’s not-too-distant history: the “death flights” carried out by the 1976-1983 military dictatorship.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Argentine seeks military trial in Italy over dictatorship deaths

09-09-2024 15:55 Lieutenant colonel Carlos Luis Malatto, accused of the murder of eight people during the country's military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, seeks a military trial in Italy.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Madres de Plaza de Mayo activist Herenia Sánchez de Viamonte dies at 97

09-09-2024 14:12 Tributes paid to human rights activist and teacher, who passed away at the age of 97; Sánchez de Viamonte, who co-founded La Plata branch of Madres de Plaza de Mayo, remembered for tireless search for her son and daughter-in-law, who were kidnapped by the military dictatorship in 1977.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

When ugly ducklings are black swans

31-08-2024 05:27 How can the libertarian creed possibly have anything in common with the totalitarian model of a military dictatorship?

by Michael Soltys

human rights & judiciary

Villarruel vows to reopen criminal cases against anti-junta guerrillas

28-08-2024 11:52 Criticism rains down from human rights groups as Vice-President Victoria Villarruel promises to reopen criminal cases against left-wing guerrillas in speech at Senate ceremony for victims of terrorism.

News of dictatorship

First warnings and the myth of ignorance

Report: Government not supporting campaign to restore dictatorship identities

Open wounds

A dark cloud that refuses to disperse

Completing memory

‘Sadism is not a political ideology nor a strategy of war, but a moral perversion’

‘Tell us where they are’ – Rights groups renew call for answers

Huge crowd floods Plaza de Mayo to mark 50 years since dictatorship coup

Milei government calls for ‘complete history’ of dictatorship era in video

Argentina remembers painful legacy of dictatorship as Milei challenges narrative

Historians discuss Milei, memory and dictatorship, 50 years on from coup

Paris campus steps in after Argentine residence removes dictatorship plaque

Voices from the darkness: 20 dictatorship survivors and their tales

Survivors recall horror of dictatorship, 50 years on from coup

Football and memory: the dictatorship’s shadow on the game

50 tales for 50 years: Book collects personal stories of dictatorship’s crimes

Trials into crimes against humanity press on amid political tensions

Fifty years after

When military coups were normal

Poll shows strong rejection of dictatorship on 50th anniversary of coup

Milei government declassifies SIDE intelligence files from 1973-1983

Argentina’s Church leaders says ‘never again’ as coup anniversary nears

Forensic team identifies 12 new dictatorship victims at Córdoba’s ‘La Perla’ site

Chilean hard-right victory stirs memories of Pinochet dictatorship

Milei's top human rights official quits post

Government hails Army chief appointment, opposition voices criticism

Milei puts military back in charge of defence after 42 years of civilian rule

Pining for Pinochet: how crime fanned nostalgia for Chile's dictator

Abuelas identify 140th grandchild born in dictatorship captivity

Villarruel taps ex-officer who ordered destruction of dictatorship records

The battle by Chile torture site dwellers to remain

Netflix’s 'El Eternauta' echoes fight against tyranny, says Darín

Sister Genevieve, French nun who broke protocol to see Pope's body

Forensic experts identify remains of law student who disappeared in 1977

Report: 20 convictions for crimes against humanity last year

Dictatorship-era torturer ‘El Turco Julián’ dies in jail

'Nunca más’ – Massive march in Argentina, 49 years after coup

Milei government pushes civil war narrative on coup anniversary

Demography should help the US keep China at bay

Brazil's polarising ex-president mired in legal woes

Milei vs the Music: Free Milo J show at ex-ESMA blocked

Nicaragua legislature cements 'absolute power' of president, wife

A good man who lived a good life

Almost 50 years on, French families still seeking answers about disappeared relatives

Abuelas and Madres founder Mirta Acuña de Baravalle dies at 99

Documentary brings dictatorship 'death flights' trauma to big screen

Argentine seeks military trial in Italy over dictatorship deaths

Madres de Plaza de Mayo activist Herenia Sánchez de Viamonte dies at 97

When ugly ducklings are black swans

Villarruel vows to reopen criminal cases against anti-junta guerrillas

Argentine peso drops most over eight weeks since midterm sell-off

Messi scores on return from injury as Argentina beat Iceland in World Cup warm-up

Trump says will attend World Cup matches as kick off nears

Lionel Messi plushies see roaring trade as China firms get World Cup 2026 boost

Another decline for industrial output and construction activity in April

Se espera la llegada de una “bomba antártica” para el 19 de junio: cuáles serán las 8 provincias afectadas

ANSES confirmó la fecha de cobro de los Vouchers Educativos en junio de 2026: quiénes recibirán el pago

"Inocencia fiscal": qué opinaba Adorni antes de adherir al Régimen Simplificado de Ganancias

HBO Max confirmó la fecha de estreno para la tercera temporada de House of the Dragon

La lista completa de funcionarios de La Libertad Avanza que se sumaron al Régimen Simplificado de Ganancias