Overview of Human Rights in Argentina

Argentina is a federal constitutional republic. Despite a recent economic upturn, poverty and unemployment remain abnormally high, especially in rural areas. While human rights are generally respected in Argentina, there are still some violations that have yet to be properly addressed.

The country has been dealing with the aftermath of the country’s "dirty-war", in which at least 14,000 people were killed, kidnapped and/or tortured.  In June 2005, the Supreme Court of Justice decided the two amnesty laws passed in the 1980’s --  "Full Stop" and "Due Obedience" -- were unconstitutional and therefore halted immunity granted to the perpetrators of the torture, killings and disappearances during the 1976-83 military rule.   Since 2005, a number of federal judges have struck down presidential pardons issued by President Menem in 1989 and 1990 into former officials who were either convicted of human rights abuses, or awaiting trial on the basis of human rights violations. In 2006, two police officers were finally convicted for “disappearances.”  These represented the first such convictions since the Supreme Court of Justice struck down the “Full Stop” and “Due Obedience” laws noted here.  

In recent years, ill-treatment and torture by law enforcement officials by detainees has been deemed especially poor. In 2005, officially reports indicated that three prisoners were killed every week. At the same time, prison overcrowding and inmate violence was at peak levels. Due to these issues, the Supreme Court of Justice stated in May 2005 that all prisons had to abide by the United National Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.  Since then, there has been some easing of the conditions in prisons.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

36th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.