Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Argentina: Mass Protests Against Impunity for Genocidal Military

On Wednesday, 500,000 people took the steets in Buenos Aires to protest the “2×1” court decision that reduces prison sentences for genocidal military leaders.

Left Voice

May 13, 2017
Facebook Twitter Share

On Wednesday, 500,000 people took the streets in Buenos Aires, bringing the capital to a standstill. Thousands took the streets in other cities around the country. They were protesting the “2×1” decision handed down by the courts that reduce prison sentences for genocidal military leaders who were convicted of crimes against humanity committed during the military dictatorship of 1976.

The Argentine military dictatorship began in 1976 with the overthrow of Isabel Peron and kept in place until 1983. It was backed by US government, with support and guidance from Henry Kissinger. Leftists and those who opposed the dictatorship were disappeared; thousands were raped, tortured and killed.

The majority that committed these genocidal acts were never punished: the dead cannot bring their murderers to trial. Some who managed to survive the death camps have been able to identify their torturers, take them to trial and secure a conviction. However, most perpetrators receive only 15 to 20 years in prison–often tried for a single crime, as multiple crimes are difficult to prove.

no_2x1-2.jpg

Criminal law in Argentina allows prison sentences for minor crimes to be halved based on good conduct; each year in prison is worth two years’ time (hence the slogan 2×1). However, after the massive uprisings in 2001, this law was no longer applied to men and women convicted of genocide or crimes against humanity committed during the military dictatorship.

Recently, court justices applied the 2×1 law to someone found guilty of genocide, opening the door to all of those who disappeared people during the military dictatorship to cut their prison time in half.

Immediately before the massive protest last Wednesday, the National Congress passed a law that limited the 2×1 ruling, to ensure that those found guilty of crimes against humanity do not have access to it. However, a multitude took to the streets anyway. Human rights organizations, trade unions, student groups and political parties joined thousands of families who were touched by the dictatorship to say that there is no forgiveness, there is no forgetting and there is no reconciliation possible with those who carried out murder and torture during the dictatorship.

no_genocidio.jpg

The grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo were at the forefront of the protest, speaking out against the judges who made the 2×1 ruling and applauding the parliamentary decision. They urged people to vote for those who will represent their voices, putting forward an electoral strategy to punish the perpetrators of torture and murder. They do not take into account that it was the 500,000 people in the streets that changed the 2×1 ruling, not the goodwill of the politicians. Furthermore, the same political parties who stopped the 2×1 decision voted for the judges who made the decision.

During the mobilization, left organizations formed an independent bloc with human rights groups that are not tied to Kirchnerism. The bloc’s statement read, “The complete rejection of the court’s ruling is so massive that the Macri government had to go back on the ruling. We do not trust the judges or the justice system. We trust mobilization.”

Myriam Bregman, a human rights lawyer and former vice-presidential candidate for the PTS (Party of Socialist Workers) said, “When three privileged judges think they can trample a 40-year struggle, they are wrong.”

no_2.1.2.jpg

Facebook Twitter Share

Left Voice

Militant journalism, revolutionary politics.

Latin America

A square in Argentina is full of protesters holding red banners

48 Years After the Military Coup, Tens of Thousands in Argentina Take to the Streets Against Denialism and the Far Right

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on March 24 to demand justice for the victims of the state and the military dictatorship of 1976. This year, the annual march had renewed significance, defying the far-right government’s denialism and attacks against the working class and poor.

Madeleine Freeman

March 25, 2024

Declaration: End Imperialist Intervention in Haiti, Solidarity with the Haitian People

The “Multinational Security Support Mission” announced by the United States marks a new imperialist-colonial intervention in Haiti by the United States, the UN, and their allies.

The Fight against Javier Milei Has Set The Stage For a Whole New Wave of Struggle

The defeat of the Omnibus Law is a key victory for the movement against Javier Milei’s austerity plan and attacks on democratic rights. It shows that the working class and oppressed have the power to fight against the advance of the Far Right in Argentina and across the world.

Tatiana Cozzarelli

February 9, 2024

Defying Repression: Socialist Electeds in Argentina Show Us What Revolutionary Parliamentarism Looks Like

Workers in Argentina are defying police repression and fighting back against the far-right government’s shock therapy. Trotskyist members of congress are not just protesting inside the chamber — they are on the front lines of the demonstrations, getting pepper sprayed and shot with rubber bullets.

Nathaniel Flakin

February 9, 2024

MOST RECENT

The Convulsive Interregnum of the International Situation

The capitalist world is in a "permacrisis" — a prolonged period of instability which may lead to catastrophic events. The ongoing struggles for hegemony could lead to open military conflicts.

Claudia Cinatti

March 22, 2024

Berlin’s Mayor Loves Antisemites

Kai Wegner denounces the “antisemitism” of left-wing Jews — while he embraces the most high-profile antisemitic conspiracy theorist in the world.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 22, 2024

What “The Daily” Gets Right and Wrong about Oregon’s Move to Recriminalize Drugs

A doctor at an overdose-prevention center responds to The Daily, a podcast produced by the New York Times, on the recriminalization of drugs in Oregon. What are the true causes of the addiction crisis, and how can we solve it?

Mike Pappas

March 22, 2024

Lord Balfour Was an Imperialist Warmonger 

We should give our full solidarity to the Palestine Action comrade who defaced a portrait of Arthur Balfour at Cambridge University. But the problem for everyone who opposes the genocide against Gaza is how to massify and politically equip the movement.

Daniel Nath

March 21, 2024