Argentine Government Promotes Army Chief with Contentious Past

Over the past two administrations the Argentine government has made a name for itself as a champion of human rights, ending impunity for those responsible for torture and other abuses. But Cristina Fernandez, like her deceased husband Nestor Kirchner before her, is a deft politician, and has demonstrated flexibility on this front for her own political gain.

Perhaps one of the clearest examples of this was the June 2013 appointment of Major General Cesar Milani to army chief of staff, despite evidence linking him to dictatorship-era human rights abuses. Milani had served as head of army intelligence since 2007, and eventually became an important ally of the Kirchners.

The Center for Legal Studies (CELS), an influential local human rights group, opposed Milani’s appointment. While the military official has never been charged for any abuses, in July 2013 CELS released a report  documenting his alleged participation in human rights crimes during his career. The organization found that Milani had authored a case report on the “desertion” of a soldier from his unit in Tucuman province in 1976, though the man had actually been forcibly disappeared. Additionally, CELS unearthed testimony linking Milani to the arrest of a dissident in La Rioja province, which led to his subsequent disappearance. On these grounds, the human rights group opposed an attempt by Kirchner’s Front for Victory (FPV)Senate majority to promote Milani to lieutenant general. The report generated a wave of controversy, and the FPV was forced to put his promotion on hold.

This only proved a temporary victory for human rights advocates, however. On December 18, the Senate voted 39 to 30 to promote Milani, triggering backlash from local and international human rights organizations.

CELS has challenged the move, releasing a more comprehensive, 17-page report on the allegations against Milani.

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