Mobilizations continue across Jujuy in rejection of the reforms to the local constitution, promoted by conservative Governor Gerardo Morales of the right-wing Radical Civic Union party. On Thursday, June 22, tens of thousands of people mobilized across the country as part of a national strike to express solidarity with the people of Jujuy and against the actions of Morales.
In Jujuy, members of Indigenous communities, teachers’ unions, and social organizations held marches and blocked major roads and highways across the province. They are demanding withdrawal of the reforms to the Provincial Constitution, which were expressly approved on June 15, without the necessary prior consultation. According to local media, some 20 roads and highways were cut off by protesters, also affecting the movement of vehicles in the neighboring provinces.
In the capital Buenos Aires, around a hundred people demonstrated in front of the Casa de Jujuy, the office of the province in the capital, condemning the brutal police repression unleashed against the protesters in Jujuy by Morales. Mobilizations in support of the people of Jujuy were also held in the provinces of Córdoba, San Luis and Santa Fe, among others.
The reform passed last week modified 66 of the 212 articles. The people of Jujuy have strongly rejected the new Constitution, deeming it “unconstitutional” and “regressive.” They have noted that the new Constitution does not recognize the rights of the Indigenous peoples, enshrined in the National Constitution, and promotes the provincialization of natural resources such as land and water. They have denounced that it enables the displacement of Indigenous communities that are inhabiting territories of extractivist interests, denying them their collective rights to ancestral lands and territories.
“We want the reform to fall, and if possible we want Morales to leave,” said protester Francisco Lamas to Página 12. The Indigenous resident of Salinas Grandes condemned that “the new Constitution will allow the advance of the government on the territories of the communities that do not have property titles to the land.”
Read more: Jujuy rises up against repression and regressive reforms
In response to the mass protests, Morales was forced to revert two of the reforms regarding rights of Indigenous people and land rights, however, the rest of the reforms, including one which prohibits highway blockades, were maintained.
It is worth highlighting that Jujuy is one of the three Argentine provinces that are part of the “lithium triangle” in the region. The new Constitution of Jujuy will allow the government to have greater control over strategic resources such as lithium in territories where communities have strongly organized to prohibit the entry of mining projects.
The new Constitution was adopted on Tuesday, June 20, behind closed doors, without a live broadcast and explanation of its articles. Following the announcement, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the offices of the provincial authorities to demonstrate. Morales, once again, deployed heavily armed police officials to disperse the crowd.
The police used rubber bullets, lead bullets and tear gas against the protesters. They even mobilized on horses and motorcycles to suppress the people with batons. Nevertheless, the people of Jujuy resisted them for hours and kept shouting “down with the reform!” According to local media, the police repression left more than 170 people injured. Additionally, over 50 were arrested and the majority were released days later on the night of Thursday June 22.
The violent police repression was rejected by national and international leaders and organizations.
President Alberto Fernández deemed the acts of repression and state violence that occurred in Jujuy as “inadmissible,”and urged the governor of Jujuy to “comply with international human rights standards.” President Fernández also indicated that he would instruct the Ministry of Justice to request the unconstitutionality of the articles “that violate the National Constitution and the international agreements.”
For its part, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Argentina expressed concern about the reports of violations of rights during the demonstrations in Jujuy. “The provincial and national authorities must promptly investigate any signs of human rights violations in the context of the demonstrations against constitutional reform in Jujuy. They must also redouble their efforts to promote dialogue and reduce tensions, addressing the root causes of the protests and avoiding any setbacks in terms of human rights,” said Jan Jarab, regional representative of the OHCHR.
Likewise, Amnesty International also demanded an immediate end to state repression in Jujuy. “The government of Jujuy Province is turning its back on those who are exercising their right to protest against the constitutional reform, sending in the forces of law and order to use repression to fix a problem that should be resolved through dialogue. The security of the population cannot be guaranteed by violating human rights,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.
The Argentine Mission of International Solidarity and Human Rights which visited Peru in March 2023 and Bolivia in November 2019 following the coups and subsequent crackdowns on mass protests, arrived in Jujuy on Friday June 23 to carry out a human rights verification mission and collect testimonies from the victims of the repression.
