A group of 23 Argentine human rights organizations published a joint statement condemning a January decree issued by President Javier Milei granting the intelligence agency SIDE the power to arrest people. According to the human rights groups, this will turn the decree into “a tool for massive surveillance.” They urged Congress to discuss and vote against the decree. The CELS has also made presentations to local courts and the Inter-American Human Rights System. “This decree overrides a previous order banning intelligence sectors from carrying out ‘repressive’ and ‘compulsive’ tasks,” Morales told the Herald. “If an intelligence agent did the same, under the new decree, theoretically, there would be no legal consequences,” said Morales.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald January 20, 2026 11:26 UTC