Excessive use of force and institutional violence
During the period under review, reports of excessive use of force by security forces continued to emerge in various contexts, including police controls, security operations, and public demonstrations. In several cases, these interventions resulted in injuries, arbitrary arrests, and deaths in custody, with investigations often progressing slowly or failing to lead to accountability.
Institutional violence disproportionately affected socially vulnerable groups and exposed structural weaknesses in oversight and accountability mechanisms.
Detention conditions and the prison system
Detention conditions remained a serious concern. Overcrowding, deteriorated infrastructure, inadequate access to healthcare, and allegations of mistreatment were documented in prisons and police stations. These longstanding problems were exacerbated by the pandemic, which highlighted the fragility of the penitentiary system and the lack of effective health safeguards.
Many detainees were held in conditions that failed to meet basic standards of dignity, prompting legal challenges and warnings from legal experts.
Pretrial detention and access to justice
The extensive use of pretrial detention persisted despite its legally exceptional nature. In many cases, individuals remained incarcerated for prolonged periods without a final conviction, effectively turning a precautionary measure into a form of punishment.
Judicial delays, overburdened courts, and barriers to adequate legal defense disproportionately affected people with limited economic resources, deepening inequality in access to justice.
Freedom of expression and the right to protest
Argentina maintained legal protections for freedom of expression, but incidents of harassment, threats, and violence against journalists were reported, particularly during coverage of social protests. Restrictions on the right to protest were also documented, as policing strategies prioritized territorial control over the protection of fundamental rights.
These practices raised concerns about the chilling effect that repressive responses can have on civic participation and public debate.
Accountability for past human rights violations
Judicial proceedings addressing crimes committed during the last military dictatorship continued and remained internationally recognized. However, procedural delays, administrative obstacles, and uneven progress across jurisdictions persisted.
Despite these challenges, the continued prosecution of crimes against humanity reaffirmed the state’s commitment to truth, justice, and accountability.
Unresolved structural challenges
Overall, the situation reflected a combination of legal advances and unresolved structural problems. Strengthening oversight of security forces, limiting the use of pretrial detention, and ensuring impartial investigations into allegations of abuse remain central challenges.
Argentina’s human rights landscape thus continued to reveal a gap between formal legal guarantees and institutional practices that have yet to fully translate those guarantees into effective protection for all.
