Although every March 24, the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires gathers thousands of people with the slogan “Memory, Truth and Justice,” this Sunday, the impulse to take to the streets was largely due to the current political context.
The lies surrounding Argentina’s bloody dictatorship, perpetuated by newly-elected Javier Milei’s and Victoria Villarruel’s government, deeply touched the majority of the human rights organizations that called the march, although far from concentrating their energy in responding in that line, they ratified the discourse that is carried out every year.
During Argentina’s military dictatorship, human rights organizations have estimated that over 30,000 students, activists, trade unionists, writers, journalists, artists and any citizens suspected of being left-wing activists were kidnapped, tortured and disappeared. However, the far-right Javier Milei has denied this fact on different occasions.
“Liberals value the vision of Memory, Truth and Justice, but we start with the truth. It was not 30,000 people who disappeared, but 8,753,” stated Milei on the campaign trail last year.
Human rights activists denounced the president on the stage of the Plaza from where a massive crowd could be seen. These organizations also demanded the continuity of the policies of Memory, Truth and Justice. The mobilization and rally was led by Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, Mothers – Founding Line, Relatives of the Disappeared and Detained for Political Reasons, Sons and Daughters for Identity and Justice against Oblivion and Silence (HIJOS Capital), the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights (APDH), the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), the Argentine League for Human Rights, among other organizations, under the slogan “30,000 reasons to defend the homeland. Never again planned misery.”
Estela de Carlotto, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Taty Almeida read a joint document which rejected the denialism and the policies of the national government that try to reinforce the power of military sectors. They closed the ceremony with the cry “they always were, will be and will continue to be: 30,000 detainees, disappeared, present.”
“Faced with this government that intends to reestablish the theory of the two demons and vindicates State terrorism, we continue to demand a law against denialism that sanctions officials and elected representatives who dismiss the crimes and their victims,” read Estela de Carlotto, the head of Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, who pointed out that “the participation of the Armed Forces in internal conflicts is contrary to their law, and puts the human rights of all at risk.”
At the same time, they rejected the act of granting house arrest to the military sentenced for crimes against humanity.
“Since the resumption of the trials, we have expressed our concern about the benefits granted to convicted and detained persons. Of the total number of repressors under investigation, the vast majority have already died or are in the process of being released,” they said.
“There are less than 700 detainees and more than 75% of them are under house arrest”, Estela recalled and added: “These are crimes that do not prescribe and their sentences should be effective. The constant provocations of Milei and Villarreal to the contrary, violate all the international covenants that have constitutional rank.”
This article was translated and adapted from an article originally published in Spanish on ARGMedios.
