543 – Repression of Statistics and Statisticians by the Argentine Government: Recent Developments, the Human Rights Context, and International Responses
International Responses to Governmental Targeting of Statisticians and Research Organizations in Argentina
William Seltzer
Fordham University
The paper describes the range of responses by the ASA and others to attacks launched by the Argentine Government on statistics, statisticians, and allied professionals who are compiling and disseminating consumer price statistics using methods not approved of by that Government. The Argentine Government had begun to manipulate official price data for political purposes in 2007. In early 2011 the Government started a campaign of harassment directed against several statisticians and research organizations that were producing price data using internationally acceptable methods. The political manipulation of data and harassment are continuing. The Government actions are in violation of scientific and human rights norms. In response, the ASA's Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, with the active support of the ASA Board and staff, initiated a series of activities designed to build an international coalition to assist our Argentine colleagues targeted for political repression. The paper reviews the actions taken, the results so far, and some of the challenges faced in mobilizing this coalition.
