Dictatorship-era army officers and supporters rally in Argentina in latest sign of political shift

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Ex-military officers who served in Argentina's brutal dictatorship and their families staged a rare rally on Saturday to push for the release of fellow officers imprisoned for human rights abuses committed during the junta's 1976-1983 rule.

Saturday's demonstration was seen as a provocation in the country of Nunca Más, the slogan that represents Argentina's commitment to “never again” return to authoritarianism.

Further raising tensions, the officers gathered in Plaza de Mayo, the historic site of protests by women searching for children who had been abducted, detained and “disappeared" by the junta. Circling the plaza in silent protest every Thursday for decades, the women became known as the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo.

To the army officers' critics, including dozens of counter-protesters who also flocked to Plaza de Mayo in downtown Buenos Aires on Saturday, the brazen rally marked a worrying sign that cracks were starting to appear in Argentina's national consensus about the bloody legacy of the dictatorship.

In a dramatic shift from past administrations, right-wing President Javier Milei has frequently justified the dictatorship's state terrorism as a messy war against leftist guerrillas.

His vice president, Victoria Villarruel, is the daughter of an Argentine lieutenant colonel and an ultraconservative lawyer who spent years advocating for armed forces and Argentines killed by left-wing guerillas — those she calls the “other victims” of terrorism.

The government's push for a reconsideration of crimes by the dictatorship has enraged human rights groups, which see it as an effort to legitimize the military's systematic extrajudicial killings of civilians. The junta is estimated to have killed or disappeared as many as 30,000 Argentines.

Milei made another contentious move last week when he appointed Army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto Presti to be Argentina's new minister of defense.

His office said this makes Presti the first military official since Argentina’s 1983 return to democracy to hold a ministerial title, “inaugurating a tradition that we hope the political leadership will continue" and "putting an end to the demonization of our officers.”

That Argentine society robs the military of respect it deserves was a common complaint among the protesters who gathered Saturday to sing the national anthem and raise banners demanding freedom for imprisoned colleagues.

“We demand the moral vindication of all the veterans,” said Maria Asuncion Benedit, the rally organizer whose late husband, an army captain, helped lead a brutal 1975 campaign against guerillas in the northern province of Tucuman.

“The Argentine people follow the official narrative. Whose narrative is it? The enemy’s, the terrorists’, those who fought against our soldiers,” she said, referring to how the left-wing Peronist governments of the early 2000s made recovering memories of the dictatorship and seeking justice for perpetrators hallmarks of their administrations.

“It's a militant, activist judiciary," Benedit said.

She and others brandished black bandanas — a loaded answer to the white kerchiefs embroidered with missing children’s names traditionally worn by the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo.

Unlike other Latin American countries that offered amnesty to those who committed military crimes after restoring democracy, Argentina has tried and sentenced more than a thousand army officials and officers for their participation in state terror, many to life in prison. Hundreds are still awaiting trial.

Pedro Nieto, a dictatorship-era veteran who traveled 36 hours from the northern province of Salta to attend Saturday’s rally, said he felt he was sending a potent message by calling for the release of his imprisoned colleagues at the symbolic Plaza de Mayo.

“We are proud to have fought and eliminated the terrorists," he said.

Alejandro Perez, whose uncle was abducted and disappeared by the dictatorship, said it terrified him to see veterans like Nieto who participated in the deadly state repression "here in front of the government house, protected by police, protected by fences, being able to hold an event to demand the release of the few imprisoned genocidal criminals.”

Police cordoned off the ex-military officers’ demonstration, keeping them at a safe distance from angry counter-protesters who shouted insults and held signs bearing slogans like “Never Again” and “the 30,000 are present.”

“You feel it in your bones,” Perez said, drenched in rain as he marched among human rights advocates and left-wing organizations.

The dueling demonstrations come a day after the United Nations Committee Against Torture delivered a report in Geneva that raised alarm about the Milei government's dismantling of programs that had investigated the military's actions during the dictatorship as well as “its budget cuts to several institutions working on issues of memory, truth and justice."

It also criticized the government's lack of transparency about paying reparations to victims of the dictatorship.

A radical libertarian elected in late 2023, Milei has made it his mission to achieve a fiscal surplus by slashing state spending in a country notorious for its huge deficits. But even as he cuts spending on health and education, he has committed to boosting the military's budget.

Addressing the U.N. torture committee annual meeting earlier this month, Alberto Baños, Milei’s top human rights official, disputed the report's findings and insisted that his government was committed to “complete, unbiased and unobtrusive historical memory.”

"Whether you like it or not, the defense of human rights became a business, and we will not tolerate that," he said.

Protesters hold white headscarves during a countermarch to a demonstration organized by former servicemen accused of human rights violations during the last dictatorship, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Asuncion Benedit, left, takes part in a protest demanding the release of former servicemen accused of human rights violations during the last dictatorship, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Retired military personnel gather to call for the release of former servicemen accused of human rights violations during the last dictatorship, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Retired military personnel gather to call for the release of former servicemen accused of human rights violations during the last dictatorship, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A retired military officer holds an Argentine flag in front of the presidential palace during a protest demanding the release of former servicemen accused of human rights violations during the last dictatorship, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix's $72 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. studio and its film and television operations drew quick reactions Friday.

Film and television industry entities including guilds and the lobbying group for movie theater owners criticized the deal, warning it would harm consumers and cinema owners.

In announcing the deal, Warner Bros. and Netflix executives touted the deal's benefits. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said the deal “will ensure people everywhere will continue to enjoy the world’s most resonant stories for generations to come,” while Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said it would “give audiences more of what they love.”

Here's a roundup of notable early reactions to the deal:

“Netflix’s stated business model does not support theatrical exhibition. In fact, it is the opposite. Theaters will close, communities will suffer, jobs will be lost.”

“Today’s news that Warner Bros. Discovery has accepted a purchase bid is an alarming escalation of the consolidation that threatens the entire entertainment industry, the democratic public it serves, and the First Amendment itself.” — in a statement

“As we navigate dynamic times of economic and technological change, our industry, together with policymakers, must find a way forward that protects producers’ livelihoods and real theatrical distribution, and that fosters creativity, promotes opportunities for workers and artists, empowers consumers with choices, and upholds freedom of speech. This is the test that the Netflix deal must pass. Our legacy studios are more than content libraries – within their vaults are the character and culture of our nation.” — in a statement.

“Netflix’s $82 billion attempt to buy Warner Bros. would be the largest media takeover in history — and it raises serious red flags for consumers, creators, movie theaters, and local businesses alike. One company should not have full vertical control of the content and the distribution pipeline that delivers it. And combining two of the largest streaming platforms is a textbook horizontal Antitrust problem. Prices, choice, and creative freedom are at stake." — in a statement.

“This deal looks like an anti-monopoly nightmare. A Netflix-Warner Bros. would create one massive media giant with control of close to half of the streaming market — threatening to force Americans into higher subscription prices and fewer choices over what and how they watch, while putting American workers at risk.” — in a statement.

The world’s largest streaming company swallowing one of its biggest competitors is what antitrust laws were designed to prevent. The outcome would eliminate jobs, push down wages, worsen conditions for all entertainment workers, raise prices for consumers, and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers. ... This merger must be blocked.” — in a statement.

“Repeated consolidation in this industry has already cost so many film and television jobs, and any merger should be evaluated on its impacts on competition and employment.” — in a statement. Her district includes Hollywood and the areas where Netflix's headquarters and the Warner Bros. studio are located.

“If I was tasked with doing so, I could not think of a more effective way to reduce competition in Hollywood than selling WBD to Netflix.” — in a post on X.

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