By Natalia Kidd
Buenos Aires, Apr 23 (EFE).- The government of Argentina’s far-right President Javier Milei blocked press access to the executive branch headquarters on Thursday in an unprecedented decision condemned by journalists, media outlets, and the opposition.
Without prior notice, the government deactivated the fingerprint registration system that allowed some 60 accredited journalists from national and foreign media outlets to enter the Casa Rosada, the seat of government, to carry out their daily reporting work in the press room.
The decision was made shortly after the government filed a complaint in court against journalists Luciana Geuna and Ignacio Salerno of the local television network Todo Noticias (TN) for an alleged security breach at the Casa Rosada involving the recording of footage inside the building and its subsequent broadcast on a program about internal conflicts within the executive branch.
»The decision to remove the fingerprints of journalists accredited to the Casa Rosada was taken as a preventive measure in response to the complaint filed by the Casa Militar (responsible for presidential security) regarding illegal espionage. The sole purpose is to ensure national security,» argued Argentina’s Secretary of Media and Communication, Javier Lanari, on X.
Following the controversial decision, Milei, who has a history of conflict with the press, including complaints against journalists, wrote “we don’t hate journalists enough” on social media on Thursday, adding, “being corrupt and violating security laws isn’t free. Someday, the filthy trash that is the press (95%) will have to understand that they are not above the law.»
Rejection by media outlets and journalists
The Association of Argentine Journalistic Entities (ADEPA), which brings together 180 media companies, expressed in a statement its “utmost concern” over the government’s “ill-timed” decision, which “has no precedent in Argentina’s democratic history” and “directly impacts freedom of expression and the right to information.”
The Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA) and the Buenos Aires Press Union (SiPreBa) also condemned the measure as «of extreme institutional gravity.»
«So far, we have received no official communication regarding why the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei (the president’s sister and right-hand woman), decided to bar journalists from entering and arbitrarily close the press room,” Tatiana Scorciapino, a journalist for the newspaper Tiempo Argentino accredited at the Casa Rosada, told EFE.
“Nothing of this magnitude has ever occurred in the nation’s democratic history,»she added.
The accredited journalists affected by the measure plan to file a petition for judicial protection.
Opposition demands explanations
A dozen lawmakers from various opposition blocs gathered at the gates of the government headquarters to express their solidarity with the journalists and submitted a letter addressed to the heads of the Military House and the Media Secretariat requesting urgent explanations.
At the gates of the Casa Rosada, Congresswoman Mónica Frade, of the ARI Civic Coalition and one of the signatories of the letter, told EFE that “this government cannot tolerate the press being nearby.”
“Many things are coming to light about this government that it needs to hide. So, for the government, the press is a source of absolute annoyance and risk. It is untenable for representatives from all blocs, except the ruling party, to accept that the government is doing this,» Frade stated.
Opposition lawmaker Marcela Pagano filed a criminal complaint against Milei for preventing journalists from entering.
Pagano, a journalist by profession who until last August was a member of the ruling party bloc in the lower house, warned on social media that “prohibiting journalists from exercising their freedom of expression is the first step toward silencing any dissenting voice.”
Amnesty International, which also questioned the government’s measure, warned on X that “the deterioration of the environment for the exercise of freedom of expression and journalism in Argentina is rapid and sustained.”
“The climate of state intolerance toward criticism, the stigmatization and harassment of the press, during the current president’s two years in office, has become state policy,” the organization warned. EFE
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