What was planned to be a silent march by prosecutors calling for answers in the death of a colleague grew by leaps and bounds into tens of thousands of Argentineans demanding an independent judiciary.  It took place a month after state prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head.

On a terribly rainy Ash Wednesday in the capital Buenos Aires, many of the marchers were already soaked through by the time they reached the Plaza de Mayo outside the official Presidential residence, La Casa Rosa.  The crowd stayed peaceful and mostly quiet, although there were a few periods when some groups would yell and chant.

It looked like a suicide at the time, but Alberto Nisman had just accused President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) of trying to cover-up Iranian involvement in a 1994 terrorist bombing in order to advance a trade deal with Tehran.  CFK and her Foreign Minister Hector Timerman strongly deny the allegations, accuse right-wing prosecutors of attempting a “judicial putsch” against the Leftist government, and hint at US involvement in their genesis. 

But the size of the rally shows the extent to which CFK’s government is being put on the defensive.  If opinions are split on how or why Nisman died, Argentines are definitely aware that corruption needs to be tackled; and both Nisman’s death and his allegations against CFK need to be investigated without bias.