Growing repressionHuman rights organisations say Navarro’s case is part of a growing pattern of violence against protesters since President Javier Milei took office in December 2023.
Shortly after his inauguration, Milei’s administration published a new set of rules for policing protests.
Under the revised protocol, the security forces — including those whose mandate is to protect Argentina’s borders, like the military police — are allowed to use tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to prevent people from blocking traffic.
The government claims these “nonlethal methods” are necessary to guarantee people’s right to circulation.
But critics say abuses, including arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment and intimidation, have become the norm, even when protesters are outnumbered by security forces.
Government security forces arrive in riot gear on May 21 in Buenos Aires, Argentina [Patricio A Cabezas/Al Jazeera]
In July, the Provincial Commission for Memory — an autonomous government body that monitors human rights — issued a report that found more cases of protest-related injuries and detentions in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024.
A total of 1,251 people had been hurt in clashes between police and security forces, and 130 people were arbitrarily arrested, according to the report.
It also accused the police of having “used less-lethal weapons against protesters irrationally and disproportionately, disregarding protocols”.
“Failure to comply with these protocols transforms these weapons into lethal weapons,” the report said.
The protest Navarro participated in was …
