Demanding the release of all detainees, Argentine deputies and representatives of human rights organizations, including Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, condemned the police actions—commanded by Minister Patricia Bullrich—during the demonstrations against the controversial “Bases Law” of the government of Javier Milei.
Last Wednesday, in a day of more than 12 hours, and while a strong police contingent guarded the streets, the Argentine Senate generally approved the Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines (full name of the initiative) .
The ambitious legislative project, which establishes the legal framework for the profound transformation of Argentina’s economic and social model, returned to the Chamber of Deputies for final approval, after undergoing modifications during the particular vote.
The session was tense and prolonged, with thousands of people demonstrating in the vicinity of Parliament against the government initiatives, and amidst tear gas and water cannons.
Numerous acts of vandalism were reported, including three vehicles set on fire. There were 33 detainees and several injured, including five deputies who were hospitalized due to the use of pepper spray.
In this context, as stated Page 12the national deputy Leopoldo Moreau (Unión por la Patria) announced the presentation of a complaint to international organizations against the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich.
According to the aforementioned media, lawyer Roberto Torres denounced that the 33 detainees were “humiliated” by members of the City Police. Torres reported that one of his clients was brutally beaten and left without pants, and was subjected to degrading comments by the officers. In addition, he noted that the detained women also reported having been handcuffed and held in police cell phones for hours.
Representative Myriam Bregman explained that “the women were handcuffed and lying in a hallway,” underlining the “illegal and inhumane” conditions of their detention. “This was an order from Patricia Bullrich, who decided to come to hit and repress. This cannot be allowed,” added the legislator from the Socialist Workers Party (PTS).
Representatives of Amnesty International and Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo joined the repudiation. They denounced that the actions of the government and justice represent a direct attack on fundamental rights and freedom of expression.
Deputy Moreau, for his part, stressed that the immediate objective is “to achieve the immediate freedom of all detainees.” Furthermore, he stated that after achieving this goal, they will focus on holding Minister Patricia Bullrich accountable for her role in these events.
“She is a mercenary of the violence of all right-wing governments in Argentina,” declared the parliamentarian, accusing her of trying to consolidate a state of exception through a judicial ruling in complicity with prosecutor Stornelli.
Moreau announced that they will present complaints to international organizations, including the High Commissioner of the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, next Tuesday.
In the judicial sphere, the local press reports that federal judge María Servini investigated the first 10 detainees under federal jurisdiction, and it is expected that this Friday she will rule on the release requests presented by the defenses. The remaining 23 detainees, under the Buenos Aires justice system, will also be investigated by Servini.
The families of the detainees reported that they were transferred to units of the Federal Penitentiary System in Marcos Paz and Ezeiza. The sister of Santiago Adano, one of the detainees, described to the media her arrest as violent and her transfer without notification to the family, describing the situation as desperate.
Prosecutor Carlos Stornelli has presented accusations of “terrorism” against the detainees, which lawyer Torres described as “legal nonsense.”
Milei government defends the operation
The Government of Argentina defended on Thursday the strong security operation it implemented on Wednesday to “protect” the Senate while it discussed the “Bases Law.”
The security forces of the Nation and the City of Buenos Aires “did a very professional task; first, taking care of Congress in an orderly and peaceful manner, and then responding with the minimum use of force, but with firmness and prudence to the attacks that began to be carried out around five in the afternoon (20:00 GMT),” he declared. the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich.
According to Bullrich, the protesters were “fully prepared”, with Molotov cocktails, nails, ‘miguelitos’ (sharp stars to stop the movement of vehicles) and fire elements to burn cars.
“They wanted to cause the law not to be voted on,” said the Minister of Security, who recalled that a Peronist senator requested that the session be adjourned “due to the repression” around Congress, which was rejected by the president of the Upper House and Vice President of the Republic, Victoria Villarruel.
The Ministry of Security is identifying the “violent groups” that demonstrated, among which Bullrich cited the Movement of Excluded Workers (MTE), the Movement of Work Cooperatives (MCT) and the organization Somos Barrios de Pie. On the contrary, he highlighted that traditional unions, such as the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), withdrew from the scene before the incidents.
For his part, the Chief of Staff, Guillermo Francos, described as “scandalous” the “level of violence” carried out by these groups around Congress.
According to what Francos said on the radio Miterthese groups are “mobilizations incited by the violence generated by the extreme and intransigent positions of sectors of Kirchnerism,” in reference to the Peronist leaders followers of Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007) and Cristina Fernández (2007-2015).
“Those who hope that an institutional coup can be generated (…) are going to have to sit and wait, because it is not going to happen,” stressed the Chief of Staff, who highlighted “the vocation, courage and conviction with which” the President Javier Milei.
“It is not going to be easy no matter how much of a parliamentary minority” the ruling party La Libertad Avanza is in, “to turn around a democratic government,” he emphasized.
It is worth mentioning that Javier Milei is at the G7 summit being held in the southern Italian region of Apulia. He met with US President Joe Biden, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
