Voices Suppressed: Human Rights Under Fire in Argentina

Author: Danielle Castano, MA

July 29, 2025

Thousands take to the streets to protest austerity measures of Argentina’s new president [Image Source: PBS News]

Introduction

For several decades, Argentina has been affected by high rates of inflation and rising poverty. The inflation rate in Argentina has averaged 190% between 1944 and 2023 (Garcia and Venturi, 2024). Furthermore, the country also owes the International Monetary Fund (IMF) a $45 billion debt (Rey and Calatrava, 2023). In order to address this inflation and debt, President Javier Milei proposed austerity economic policies including cutting back on government subsidies, laying off workers, and imposing pension freezes. Since the proposal of these austerity economic policies, Argentinians have protested against the current administration with the government becoming increasingly hostile towards protesters and violating press freedom. Despite the pushback from the public, Milei’s administration has not rescinded any of the economic policies introduced in 2023 and continues to propose new budget cuts despite the increasing disapproval of the public. 

Background

Javier Milei took office as Argentina’s 59th President in December of 2023 during a time when the country was facing a monetary crisis where inflation had surpassed 100 percent (Garcia and Venturi, 2024). Argentina has been consistently plagued by fiscal deficits and chronic inflation for decades caused by public overspending that is financed by creating money (Garcia and Venturi, 2024). In response, President Milei proposed a series of austerity policies in order to reduce the inflation plaguing Argentina such as a 54% devaluation of peso currency, cutting energy and transportation subsidies, laying off government workers, and imposing wage and pension freezes below inflation (Debre, 2024). The results of the austerity measures implemented have caused unemployment and poverty to surge in the country. The first protest against the economic policies began in 2023 just two weeks after President Milei took office with thousands taking to the streets. The government responded by deploying police officers and threatening to cut off public aid payments to protesters who blocked the streets (Rey and Calatrava, 2023). Despite repressive measures used to deter protesters, protests and demonstrations are continuing to take place. 

Protests

There have been several groups that have protested against the economic policies. In 2024, Milei announced that there would be cuts to the budget of public universities, and he vetoed a law passed by Congress that would have increased staff salaries to make up for the 2024 annual inflation, which sparked a month-long protest attended by thousands of people (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, n.d.). Another group most affected by the economic policies are retirees who live on a fixed pension and represent 15.7% of the country’s population (Morel and Kidd, 2025). For months, retirees have protested every Wednesday in Downtown Buenos Aires and on several occasions have been met by police trying to repel protesters from blocking traffic. 

One of the most notable protests occurred in March of 2025 when soccer fans from several teams joined the protest in support of the retirees. The peaceful protest escalated as police deployed water cannons, tear gas, and pellets against stone-throwing protesters (España, 2025). Images of the police using excessive force on senior citizens shocked the internet. More than a hundred people were arbitrarily detained, including two children, and at least twenty protesters had to be hospitalized due to the repressive actions of the police (The International Federation for Human Rights, 2025). In response to the protest, Argentina’s Ministry of Security published a resolution that bans anyone who engages in violent behavior and disrupts traffic from entering soccer stadiums (España, 2025). Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch (2025) have called for an investigation of the security forces that used force to confront the protest led by pensioners. President Milei announced that he would not be investigating their role in the March 12th protest and instead praised the security forces for protecting democracy, institutions, and citizens. 

Alongside excessive force to dispel protesters from demonstrating peacefully, there are reports that the government is also attacking journalists and press freedoms during protests. Reporters Without Borders (2025) found that at least nine journalists were attacked on May 28th, 2025, three who were arbitrarily detained and later released. Several photographers and journalists were injured by police forces while covering the protests. As a result, Argentina now ranks 87 of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index 2025, falling 47 places since President Milei took office (Reporters Without Borders, 2025). The government’s discouragement of its citizens to mobilize, the lack of accountability of security forces, and the suppression of independent journalists signals a deeper crack in Argentina’s democracy.  

A riot police officer shoots a tear gas canister at protesters during a demonstration of pensioners calling for improvements to their pensions and access to free medicines, among other demands, in Buenos Aires on March 12, 2025. [Image Source: © LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images]

Conclusion

As inflation and poverty continue to devastate the country, it is unlikely that Argentinians will stop protesting against the current administration. The economic policies in place have helped improve Argentina’s economy, however, some such as National Public Radio’s Rascoe (2025) suggest this progress is happening on the backs of poor people. Inflation has decreased since the policies were implemented, but the rate of poverty continues to affect at least half of the population and has come at substantial economic and social costs. Despite the pushback from the public, Milei’s administration has not rescinded any of the economic policies introduced in 2023 and has continued to propose more budget cuts to different sectors, continuing to affect Argentinians. The use of excessive force against protesters and attacks on journalists calls for greater attention to what is happening in Argentina.

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Glossary

• Austerity- a set of economic policies, usually consisting of tax increases, spending cuts, or a combination of the two, used by governments to reduce budget deficits.

• Deployed- to move soldiers or equipment to a place where they can be used when they are needed. 

• Devaluation- an official reduction in the exchange value of a currency by a lowering of its gold equivalency or its value relative to another currency. 

• Dispel- to drive away or cause to vanish by or as if by scattering.

• Hostile- having an intimidating, antagonistic, or offensive nature.

• Implementation- an act or instance of implementing something: the process of making something active or effective. 

• Inflation- a continuing rise in the general price level usually attributed to an increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods and services.

• International Monetary Fund (IMF)- The IMF is a global organization that works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 191 member countries. It does so by supporting economic policies that promote financial stability and monetary cooperation, which are essential to increase productivity, job creation, and economic well-being. 

• Pension- one paid under given conditions to a person following retirement from service or to surviving dependents.

• Plagued- to cause worry or distress to; to disturb or annoy persistently.

• Repressive- put down by force.

• Rescinded- to take away or remove.

• Resolution- a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent voted by an official body or assembled group.

• Retirees- a person who has retired from a working or professional career.

• Subsidies- a grant by a government to a private person or company to assist an enterprise deemed advantageous to the public.

• Suppression- an act or instance of being put down by authority or force.

• Veto- the power or right vested in one branch of a government to cancel or postpone the decisions, enactments, etc., of another branch, especially the right of a president, governor, or other chief executive to reject bills passed by the legislature.

• World Press Freedom Index- the purpose of the World Press Freedom Index is to compare the level of freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories.

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Sources

1. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. (n.d.). Global protest tracker. Retrieved from https://carnegieendowment.org/features/global-protest-tracker?lang=en 

2. Debre, I. (2024). Argentina’s Milei marks one year in office. here’s how his shock measures are reshaping the economy. Retrieved from https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/argentinas-milei-marks-one-year-in-office-heres-how-his-shock-measures-are-reshaping-the-economy/ 

3. España, S. (2025). Argentine retirees and soccer fans clash with police during protests against austerity measures. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/argentina-protests-retirees-milei-soccer-fans-1a273ac6f088465ff1cf989eeff216e1 

4. Garcia, F., & Venturi, L. (2024). Argentina under a new government: What are the Big Economic Challenges? Retrieved from https://economicsobservatory.com/what-economic-challenges-does-argentina-face-today 

5. Human Rights Watch. (2025). Argentina: Abusive response to protest. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/04/03/argentina-abusive-response-protest  

6. The International Federation for Human Rights. (2025). Brutal repression of retirees’ protest in Argentina. Retrieved from https://www.fidh.org/en/region/americas/argentina/brutal-repression-of-retirees-protest-in-argentina 

7. Morel, A., & Kidd, N. (2025). Jubilados Argentinos Vuelven a ser repelidos por la policía en protesta ante El Parlamento. Retrieved from https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/jubilados-argentinos-vuelven-a-ser-repelidos-por-la-polic%C3%ADa-en-protesta-ante-el-parlamento/89391278  

8. Rascoe, A. (2025). Argentina’s recent economic growth has come at the cost of the country’s poor. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2025/02/09/nx-s1-5280631/argentinas-recent-economic-growth-has-come-at-the-cost-of-the-countrys-poor 

9. Reporters Without Borders. (2025). Argentina: RSF warns of escalating media repression during peaceful protests. Retrieved from https://rsf.org/en/argentina-rsf-warns-escalating-media-repression-during-peaceful-protests 

10. Rey, D., & Calatrava, A. (2023). Thousands take to the streets to protest austerity measures of Argentina’s new president. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/thousands-take-to-the-streets-to-protest-austerity-measures-of-argentinas-new-president