Argentina’s government toned down its stinging criticism of opponents on Wednesday ahead of what is expected to be one of the largest street protests of embattled President Cristina Fernandez’s seven years in power.

Fernandez’s final year in office is in turmoil after the murky death a month ago of Alberto Nisman, a state investigator who was poised to detail evidence behind his accusations that she plotted to cover-up his investigation into a 1994 bombing.

Top officials have accused the prosecutors behind the demonstration dubbed the ‘silent march’ of trying to conduct a “judicial putsch” and conspiring with right-wing political opponents to unseat Fernandez. On Wednesday they calmed it down.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“I don’t want to give it any value, nor downplay its importance,” the president’s Chief of Staff Anibal Fernandez told reporters. “I’m not interested. It’s the expression of people who have the right to do so.”

Tens of thousands of Argentines are expected to march in silence through the capital, Buenos Aires, on Wednesday evening to honor Nisman, who was found dead with a single bullet to the head on Jan. 18.

Prosecutors organizing the rally say it is not politically motivated. But the independence of Argentina’s judiciary has long been in question. Marchers will likely call for an end to political interference and the intimidation of prosecutors and judges.

Security forces patrolling within five blocks of the march’s route will not be allowed to carry weapons, Security Secretary Sergio Berni said on Tuesday, citing the risk of “provocations.”

Nisman had accused Iran of being behind the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center and alleged Fernandez colluded with the Tehran government to whitewash his investigations in return for economic favors.

His death has sent shockwaves through Argentina ahead of October’s presidential vote. It is still unknown whether the father-of-two shot himself or was murdered, spawning a blizzard of conspiracy theories and denting Fernandez’s credibility.

The political crisis has piled pressure on a government already battling a debt default, stagnant economic growth and rampaging inflation.

Another state prosecutor, Gerardo Pollicita, on Friday said he would keep investigating Fernandez and formally reiterated Nisman’s accusations.

A majority of Argentines expect never to know the truth behind Nisman’s death, polls show.

“This is one of the most peculiar cases in Argentine history. The accuser is dead and the accused is the most powerful person in the country,” said Argentine historian Federico Finchelstein.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount