‘They could have killed me’: Protesters condemn state violence in Argentina

Growing repression

Human rights organisations accidental Navarro’s lawsuit is portion of a increasing signifier of unit against protesters since President Javier Milei took bureau successful December 2023.

Shortly aft his inauguration, Milei’s medication published a caller acceptable of rules for policing protests.

Under the revised protocol, the information forces — including those whose mandate is to support Argentina’s borders, similar the subject constabulary — are allowed to usage teardrop gas, h2o cannon and rubber bullets to forestall radical from blocking traffic.

The authorities claims these “nonlethal methods” are indispensable to warrant people’s close to circulation.

But critics accidental abuses, including arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment and intimidation, person go the norm, adjacent erstwhile protesters are outnumbered by information forces.

Government information forces get successful riot cogwheel connected May 21 successful Buenos Aires, Argentina [Patricio A Cabezas/Al Jazeera]

In July, the Provincial Commission for Memory — an autonomous authorities assemblage that monitors quality rights — issued a study that recovered much cases of protest-related injuries and detentions successful the archetypal fractional of 2025 than successful each of 2024.

A full of 1,251 radical had been wounded successful clashes betwixt constabulary and information forces, and 130 radical were arbitrarily arrested, according to the report.

It besides accused the constabulary of having "used less-lethal weapons against protesters irrationally and disproportionately, disregarding protocols".

"Failure to comply with these protocols transforms these weapons into lethal weapons," the study said.

The protestation Navarro participated successful was peculiarly bloody. Healthcare professionals reported treating much than 300 protesters, immoderate of whom had haemorrhages, trauma to the thorax and "open facial wounds", according to the Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), a quality rights nonprofit.

Felix Bardone, a doctor, has led a squad of volunteers successful treating protesters injured during the caller demonstrations [Patricio A Cabezas/Al Jazeera]

Among the injured was photojournalist Pablo Grillo, who was deed connected the caput with a teardrop state canister. Grillo spent weeks successful intensive attraction and is inactive recovering from his injuries.

“They [the information forces] mightiness beryllium utilizing nonlethal weapons, but adjacent those tin origin precise serious, life-changing injuries,” said Felix Bardone, a doc who was among the archetypal to dainty Navarro.

Bardone is portion of a squad of unpaid wellness professionals who, each week, acceptable up a archetypal assistance station adjacent Congress astatine the Instituto Patria, a deliberation vessel founded successful 2016 by erstwhile President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

The fig of patients the archetypal assistance station receives varies week to week. But Bardone has cared for protesters whose airways are inflamed by capsicum spray and teardrop gas, and whose bodies person been chopped and bruised by projectiles and rubber bullets.

In Navarro's case, the nonaccomplishment of his oculus has meant the nonaccomplishment of much than his vision.

“There are galore things I inactive cannot do," helium explained. "I don’t person the aforesaid reflexes. I request to beryllium precise cautious with everything, and I consciousness that I’m perpetually connected precocious alert, particularly astir large noises. My beingness has changed completely.”