News of rights

Victoria Villarruel: First vice-president to play down dictatorship’s crimes

22-11-2023 11:37 By presenting herself as a militant of "complete memory," the La Libertad Avanza vice-president-elect has constructed her political figure around the controversial “theory of two demons,” equating left-wing killings with state terrorism.

Carlotto wants Milei to ‘respect search for grandchildren’

20-11-2023 17:35 Leader of Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo human rights group says that she will request a meeting with libertarian leader Javier Milei and demand that her organisation's “search for our grandchildren” is respected.

Victoria Villarruel criticises ESMA dictatorship world heritage site

14-11-2023 13:55 Far-right vice-presidential candidate Victoria Villarruel suggests ESMA memory site, once home to detention and extermination camp, should be turned into a school; Javier Milei’s running-mate alleges widespread corruption in government’s human rights policies.

104-year-old grandmother wins court battle to protect her vote

07-11-2023 16:00 Berazategui grandmother Fanny Magdalena Córdoba, has voted in every election since 1951, when women first won suffrage in Argentina. Blocked in this year's elections from casting a ballot due to her age, she went to court to ensure she retained her democratic right to vote.

by Ariel Stemphelet

#28S rally: Thousands gather in capital to march in favour of legal abortion

29-09-2023 15:47 Downtown Buenos Aires was taken over by feminist groups on Thursday, as demonstrators rallied to retain abortion rights in the wake of a policy U-turn proposed by leading presidential candidate Javier Milei.

by Andrea Puerto

The imperious need to penalise denialism

27-09-2023 13:12 There are issues, like crimes against humanity, which should be beyond electoral speculation. With the same speed with which the government secured approval for amending the income tax threshold, it should also now approve a law to condemn denialism with the support of Juntos por el Cambio and a united opposition.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

Court confirms life sentences for Jorge ‘Tigre’ Acosta and 39 others

19-09-2023 16:34 Federal Criminal Cassation Chamber dismissed appeals by 40 individuals convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in jail.

Hell becomes heritage: UNESCO honours ex-ESMA detention centre

19-09-2023 15:51 An exercise in memory without hatred has turned the former ESMA Navy Mechanics School, the largest torture and extermination centre during the last military dictatorship’s rein of terror, into a cultural space that hurts but aspires to heal.

Dictator Pinochet looms large over Chile 50 years after coup

07-09-2023 12:04 Augusto Pinochet suspended democracy using military force to overthrow a popularly-elected president and rule Chile with an iron grip that saw thousands of his subjects tortured and killed. Yet, 50 years after his power grab, and despite a brutal legacy, the general continues to inspire admiration rather than condemnation among many.

Outcry at event puts Villarruel's dictatorship beliefs in spotlight

05-09-2023 16:23 Demonstrators protest against Victoria Villarruel's event paying tribute to "the victims of terrorism" held at the City Legislature.

Brazil high court rules homophobia punishable by prison

23-08-2023 10:57 Brazil Supreme Court ruling puts homophobic hate speech on the same legal level as racist hate speech, a decision applauded by rights activists in a country with rampant violence against the LGBTQ+ community.

South America seeks roadmap to save Amazon at 'landmark' summit

08-08-2023 13:34 Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened what he called a "landmark" summit Tuesday, urging fellow South American leaders to chart an ambitious roadmap to save the Amazon rainforest.

Ex-Molinos executive arrested for role in dictatorship crimes

06-07-2023 00:52 Emilio Parodi, 82, arrested at home in Vicente López for alleged crimes against humanity; Former manager of Molinos Río de La Plata food company being investigated for role in kidnapping and disappearance of 23 workers during the era of state terrorism.

Robert Cox awarded honorary doctorate by Rosario University

28-06-2023 22:42 “Journalism can save lives,” declares the former editor of ‘Buenos Aires Herald’ newspaper as he is honoured for his ethics and quest for truth during the military dictatorship’s era of state terrorism.

Accusations fly after violent clashes in Jujuy

20-06-2023 17:02 NGOs and national government slam “repression” against demonstrators in northern province of Jujuy; Opposition Governor Gerardo Morales points finger at Alberto Fernández and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for unrest.

Tensions in Jujuy as demonstrators denounce ‘brutal repression’

19-06-2023 16:27 At least 40 arrests near the northern city of Purmamarca as indigenous, picketers and left-wingers demonstrate against constitutional reform limiting right to protest; Jujuy Governor Morales points finger at the national government for violence and says roadblocks will be broken up.

Argentina holds annual 'Ni Una Menos' march

04-06-2023 09:54 Tens of thousands turn out for the annual Ni Una Menos anti-gender violence march, just days after a young woman was killed by a coworker who had harassed her.

Latin America's leaders and UNASUR: unity in the midst of divergence

31-05-2023 10:31 Everybody was onboard with unity at the meeting of South American leaders in Brasília, but the presence of Nicolás Maduro caused divergence.

by Eleonora Gosman

Church offers mea culpa, 40 years on from dictatorship's end

24-04-2023 15:05 Catholic leaders in Argentina offers mea culpa to victims for Church’s role during brutal 1976-198 military dictatorship; New three-part report probes Synod’s archives and behaviour during era of state terrorism.

Siblings abducted at birth during dictatorship meet, four decades on

22-04-2023 19:11 Two siblings who were abducted at birth during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship and lost to each other for four decades finally meet thanks to an incredible DNA discovery.