On July 25, 2024, the Argentine Ministry of Human Capital appointed an interim rector to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo University (UNMa), removing the rector previously elected by the university community. The move violated the constitutional and legal guarantees that protect university autonomy.
UNMa was established in 2000 as a “liberation project” by the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, a human rights organization founded by women protesting the disappearance of their children during the military dictatorship. In October 2023, the Argentine Congress formally designated UNMa as an autonomous national university. Under the National Constitution and the Higher Education Law, Argentine national universities are granted “academic and institutional autonomy,” which provides them the authority to define the function, composition, and membership of their governing bodies. The UNMa Sovereign Assembly elected Cristina Caamaño as rector in March 2024.
In July 2024, the Argentine Ministry of Human Capital dismissed Caamaño and replaced her with former administrative secretary Eduardo Maurizzio. In response, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo sued the government, alleging executive overreach into autonomous university operations. Caamaño argued that her dismissal was politically motivated, claiming the government targeted the institution due to its mission as a public education and human rights project. In the midst of the legal battle, the government ordered police intervention to close the campus. A federal court suspended the intervention in November 2024 (see report).
In May 2025, a federal judge ruled that Caamaño “lacked the authority” to represent the university, effectively removing her from the legal proceedings regarding the autonomy suit. As of February 2026, Maurizzio remained interim rector.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the removal of a democratically elected university leader and the appointment of an interim rector by state authorities, bypassing established university consultation and election processes. State authorities should refrain from interference in the internal governance of higher education institutions and respect the self-governing rights of the university community. State-led efforts to intervene in university leadership and/or restrict student expression undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally
Sources:
*This incident was identified by the Center for the Analysis of Liberty and Authoritarianism, a member of the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the America’s Monitoring Working Group.
https://www.tiempoar.com.ar/ta_article/el-gobierno-interviene-la-universidad-de-las-madres-de-plaza-de-mayo-sin-ninguna-legalidad/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKKj2ijvr7k/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=bbf7c9c7-0c4b-44de-a334-84c3b9a967c5
https://buenosairesherald.com/politics/mothers-of-plaza-de-mayo-denounce-new-attack-against-university
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https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/ley-24430-804
https://www.coneau.gob.ar/archivos/447.pdf
https://www.cronista.com/economia-politica/toma-por-asalto-o-violacion-a-la-autonomia-que-paso-en-la-universidad-de-las-madres-de-plaza-de-mayo/
https://www.andes.org.br/conteudos/noticia/aNDES-sN-repudia-intervencao-policial-na-universidade-de-la-madres-de-plaza-de-mayo-na-argentina1