BUENOS AIRES — Thousands of Argentines marched in Buenos Aires Wednesday to demand answers in the mysterious death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman a month ago.

Carrying Argentine flags and waving signs reading “Justice!” and “Truth!”, protesters began walking Wednesday evening from Congress to the iconic Plaza de Mayo in downtown.

Eighty-one-year-old Blanca Perez said the government needs to account for Nisman’s death. In her words, “If we don’t have justice, we won’t have liberty.”

Nisman was found dead of a gunshot wound Jan. 18, hours before he was to detail to Congress his explosive accusations that President Cristina Fernandez and top administration officials orchestrated a secret deal with Iran to shield officials allegedly responsible for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.

Fernandez has denied the allegations.

Nisman’s death and the government’s reaction has further divided a nation already polarized by eight years of conflict under Fernandez. The government has accused march organizers of being supporters of the military regime that governed Argentina from 1976-1983, labeling them “baby-snatchers.”

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They are the latest in a line of groups, including farmers, investors, judges and even political allies, who have suffered attacks from the administration.

“There’s a multiplicity of pre-existing conflicts that the Nisman case has brought to light,” Sergio Berensztein, a political analyst, said.

“While they don’t explain his death they do explain the context.”

Almost 55 percent of Argentines believe Fernandez tried to cover up the alleged role of Iranians in the bombing that Nisman was investigating in exchange for trade preferences, according to a Management & Fit poll conducted Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, published in Clarin on Tuesday.

The survey of 2,400 people had a margin of error of 2 percentage points. The attack killed 85 people.


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