Argentine human rights groups endorse Daniel Scioli for President.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald
Human rights organizations in Argentina, including the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, Relatives of Forcibly Disappeared Persons for Political Reasons, and HIJOS (the organization that represents children of state terror victims), will issue a statement on Tuesday endorsing Front for Victory (FpV) presidential candidate Daniel Scioli ahead of the November 22 runoff, warning about the possible consequences of a victory by Mauricio Macri of the right-wing "Let’s Change" coalition.
“While one candidate (Macri) vows to forget the past, open prison doors for dictatorship-era criminals, and push austerity plans, the other (Scioli) represents the continuity of a political project that has done much to help the poor,” Estela Barnes de Carlotto, the head of Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, told the Herald. “The right-wing is gaining and we needed to express our concern; but also to defend a project that means more rights and more democracy,” Giselle Tepper, of HIJOS, also told the Herald.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel was one of the first human rights leaders to endorse Scioli’s bid. “I’ve always been critical of Kirchnerism; but the differences are clear,” he added.
Although Macri has long had a distant relationship with the human rights organizations since he became Buenos Aires City mayor in 2007, it worsened last year when the PRO leader said he wanted to end the “human rights scam.” “He said we were a scam. He did not offend us, he offended the 30,000 forcibly disappeared people,” Taty Almeida said. “That's what he thinks about human rights.”
HIJOS has also taken Macri to court for failing to protect witnesses in human rights trials. “Macri does not represent Memory, Truth, and Justice,” she said. “He represents impunity.”
Read more: http://buenosairesherald.com/article/202989/rights-groups-for-scioli
But don't feel bad for Señor Macri. He has his endorsements too, you know: http://www.democraticunderground.com/110845191
