Argentine human rights groups endorse Daniel Scioli for President.
Human rights organizations in Argentina are preparing to issue an explicit endorsement of 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.
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 endorsing Scioli on Tuesday.
“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.
Barnes de Carlotto’s support for Scioli was lukewarm earlier in the campaign. Scioli has worked to gain Barnes de Carlotto’s confidence, however, vowing to create a Human Rights Ministry if elected.
“We want to make it clear that although we aren’t afraid, we’re concerned about a Macri victory,” Taty Almeida, an iconic leader of Mothers of Plaza de Mayo told the Herald, echoing Barnes de Carlotto’s words. “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, though he will not be signing the statement that the other groups will be releasing days before the runoff. Pérez Esquivel also pointed out that Scioli represented a project that seeks to give the state a central role, whereas Macri favors "pro-business" positions. “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 is 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.”
Other groups have also been critical of Scioli but don’t see it as an obstacle for endorsement. “We’ve criticized Scioli; but we’ve been much more critical of Macri,” Tepper acknowledged yesterday. “We, the human rights groups, will have to be the safeguards of human rights in any government.”
At: http://buenosairesherald.com/article/202989/rights-groups-for-scioli
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