Argentina News Roundup: 11th February 2014

Córdoba Rejects Monsanto Environmental Study: The Environment Secretariat for the province of Córdoba yesterday rejected an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prepared by Monsanto for its seed plant near the town of Malvinas Argentinas. The technical commission in charge of reviewing the EIA concluded that it did not fulfill requirements related to waste disposal and was “insufficiently technical” to be approved. According to a court ruling in January, official approval of the EIA after a public hearing is required before Monsanto can resume construction of the seed plant, which was originally scheduled to begin operating in 2014. The latest decision is a victory for protesters who have been camped outside the plant since September and who filed the legal injunction to block its construction. Sofía Gatica, one of the leading figures in the protest, told local newspaper La Voz de Córdoba: “We are happy with the news, but we are not going to relax until we hear the governor say that Monsanto will leave Córdoba.” A spokesperson for Monsanto told local press that the company would comply with all requirements and prepare a new EIA to be submitted for evaluation.

20 Injured as Police Break Up Protest in Chaco: At least 20 people were injured today when police broke up a protest outside the government house in Resistencia, in the northern province of Chaco. Protesters from Barrios de Pie and other social movements blocked roads and marched to the central Plaza 25 de Mayo to demand increases in benefits and payments to workers’ cooperatives, and social housing. Police dispersed the protest with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets, leaving dozens injured, including some women and children, according to eyewitnesses. Provincial security secretary, Marcelo Churín, said the police acted to protect people’s right to circulate freely on roads. “The governor [Juan Carlos Bacileff Ivanoff] does not permit the blocking of roads… protests can go ahead, but without impacting on the rights of others,” he said on local radio.

Supreme Court Orders Even Distribution of Government Ads: The Supreme Court today upheld a ruling that obliges the government to distribute public advertising in a legal and constitutional manner, and support freedom of expression. TV company Artear, which is a part of Grupo Clarín, had filed a complaint over the “discretionary administration of public funds for official advertising”, and the exclusion of its own Channel 13. In upholding the claim, the Supreme Court said that if the State decides to distribute advertising, it must not discriminate against certain media outlets or use it to indirectly impact on press freedom.