Argentina’s top human rights groups are boycotting President Obama’s visit to the country on the 40th anniversary of a military coup that lead to the deaths of thousands of people.
The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo and the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, who are still searching for unaccounted victims of the nation’s military rule, have announced they will not be present at a ceremony on Thursday when Mr. Obama and Argentinian President Mauricio Macri commemorate the anniversary of the coup.
Mr. Obama and his family arrived in Argentina early Wednesday after an overnight flight from Cuba. The government is throwing a state dinner in his honor Wednesday night.
Argentina’s military chiefs in the 1970s and early 1980s dispatched dissidents and other opponents of the regime, known as the “disappeared,” by throwing many out of helicopters into the Atlantic Ocean.
A spokeswoman for the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo told the Guardian that her group considers Mr. Obama’s presence a “provocation.” Many Argentinians blame the U.S. for supporting the coup and the military dictatorship.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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