Did the Argentine Government Play a Role in the Forced Disappearance of Santiago Maldonado?

Since the beginning of the investigation into the disappearance of activist Santiago Maldonado, whose family confirmed on Friday that a body found in the Chubut River earlier this week is their son's, the Argentine government's actions have been questioned.

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On August 1, the Argentine National Gendarmerie, or police, carried out a raid on the Indigenous Mapuche community in the town of Cushamen, where, according to a witness, Maldonado was arrested and beaten by security forces.

Since then, the country has rallied for weeks, demanding that the young activist be returned alive.

However, the investigation has been fraught with inconsistencies since the beginning.

On August 4, the Gendarmerie was required to deliver a report to a court in the nearby city of Esquel, on the operation conducted in the Mapuche community. There, they denied having Maldonado in their custody.

Judge Guido Otranto, who had been in charge of the case, was also repeatedly been accused by the young man's family for being "partial" in the investigations.

When the first raid was carried out at Pu Lof, Cushamen, the official public defender, Fernando Machado, claimed to have found traces of evidence suggesting that Maldonado had been there.

However, Judge Otranto ruled there was insufficient evidence to show that Maldonado had been arrested by the Gendarmerie.

Soon thereafter, the vehicles of the state forces were raided, where some hair and a rope that could have belonged to the young activist were found.

During the raid, it was observed that the vehicles used by the Gendarmerie had been washed and their security seals violated. The Argentine security forces defended themselves by saying they had not used those vehicles during the operation, contrary to evidence found in video footage.

While the investigation was underway, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich was criticized for attempting to cover up Maldonado's forced disappearance in the statements she made publicly.

The official questioned the willingness of the family to provide data, rejected the hypothesis of forced disappearance and also extended the time for the case to be brought to justice.

And despite the Gendarmerie having been accused of being responsible for Maldonado’s disappearance, they were accepted as a part of the investigation.

Several audio clips have also been leaked, where the Cabinet of the Ministry of Security, Pablo Noceti, can be heard telling Sergeant Sergio Sartirana to hide the vehicles of the Gendarmerie that were used during the operation in the Mapuche community.

Another audio clip revealed that Maldonado had been in a pickup truck belonging to Sartirana.

The Argentine President Mauricio Macri himself remained absent from the case for nearly two months, only giving vague statements when confronted by journalists.

However, when the United Nations offered its assistance, asking if representatives could be sent to the country, Macri blocked them from coming.

Now, after the confirmation that Maldonado's body has been found, the Argentine president is still absent and has not yet issued public statements about the case, despite the fact that Argentina’s citizens are demanding it.

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Maldonado Family Confirms Body is Missing Argentine Activist's

Maldonado's brother, Sergio, on Friday denounced Macri's decision to phone his mother two days before the country's legislative elections, which take place Sunday.

"I think they are very perverse, it is very low, there is a limit," he told the TN News Channel, Grupo Clarin. "I see him (Justice Minister German Garavano) and President Macri saying they spoke, when they never cared about us. (Macri) calls my (mother) two days before the election, it's very low, they make me sick. They use things politically, it seems pathetic."