The opposition questioned the cuts in Human Rights and warned of "memory loss."

The national government officially downgraded the Secretariat of Human Rights to a sub-secretariat. The measure, published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette, includes a 40% cut in staff and a 30% cut in personnel . The decision sparked immediate condemnation from opposition leaders and organizations linked to the defense of fundamental rights.

Martín Soria , a representative from the Union for the Homeland party, described the decision as a "strategy to destroy collective memory." In a radio interview, he maintained that "they are trying to erase the motto of Memory, Truth, and Justice so that violence never returns. It's part of the same thing; they want to make the people forget what happened."

There was also criticism from the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Their president, Estela de Carlotto , asserted that Javier Milei 's administration "has no heart or soul" and warned that "they are closing all doors to what is good for society." The Human Rights representative explained that explanatory material had been provided to the Executive Branch, but that it was archived without a response.

"We are under a very dangerous and damaging government. They are making the entire country weep," he said. In addition to the downgrading, the Executive branch ordered the National Archive of Memory and the ESMA Museum-Site of Memory to be merged under the International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights (CIPDH).

In parallel, Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo reported a 300% increase in inquiries received during May, compared to the same period in 2024. The phenomenon could be related to the premiere of the series El Eternauta , based on the work of Héctor Germán Oesterheld , kidnapped by the last dictatorship along with his four daughters.

Belén Altamiranda Taranto, a member of Abuelas in Córdoba, said the impact was immediate. “There was a surge in inquiries. It all started before the premiere, with the posters plastered all over Buenos Aires,” she said. These images showed the faces of Oesterheld and his daughters, in an intervention by the organization HIJOS, which sought to bring visibility to his disappearance.

From the opposition's perspective, the interpretation is clear: reducing the Secretariat of Human Rights is not an isolated measure. For many, it implies minimizing decades of struggle and resistance. They warn that this is not just about cutting staff, but an attempt to silence a vital part of Argentine history.