Through decree 117/2024, President Javier Milei ordered the intervention for one year of the Télam news agency, Argentine Radio and Television, the Educar company and Public Contents.
Furthermore, he established that said period may be extended only once and appointed Diego Martin Chaher as interventor and Diego Sebastián Marías as deputy.
According to the decree, both will have the powers of the statutes of those companies, will modify the rules and fund administration regime, will order a comprehensive audit and will appoint or remove officials and staff.
This is a violation of current legislation and goes beyond Congress, since some of these entities have directors voted by different parliamentary representations, Fatpren said in a statement.
These media have their own management structure, established by the laws that created them and, especially, democratic control through Congress and the public. In an absolutely authoritarian manner, the Executive destroys it, he added.
In addition, he indicated that the measure violates Law 26,522 on Audiovisual Communication Services, which establishes the rules to govern the operation and distribution of licenses for radio and television media in Argentina.
It also violates the regulations of State Companies that sought to be repealed by the decree of necessity and urgency 70/2023, “challenged as unconstitutional by Fatpren through a shelter that is currently being processed in the Federal Administrative Litigation jurisdiction.”
We point out the absolute incompatibility of 70/23 with the obligations of the State in terms of sustaining and safeguarding the social role of public media that guarantees plurality of voices and support the country’s information system, which, without Télam, National Radio or Public Television, it would be subject to the whims of the private sector and their economic interests, the text noted.
In addition, he recalled that the intervened institutions guarantee federalism and the possibility of cultural and interesting events reaching the entire national territory free of charge.
The Executive’s intention to privatize these media to do business with them, functional to the private communication sectors, is clear. For all this, we ask the judiciary to urgently deal with the appeal presented by our federation and for the deputies to defend the role of Congress in the face of a new subjugation, he concluded.
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