Rodolfo Carlos Barra (born 19 December 1947) is an Argentine

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

lawyer and politician, who served as a minister of the

Supreme Court of Argentina The Supreme Court of Argentina (), officially known as the Supreme Court of Justice of the Argentine Nation (, CSJN), is the highest court of law of the Argentine Republic. It was inaugurated on 15 January 1863. During much of the 20th century ...

between 1990 and 1993, and as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

between 1994 and 1996, until his resignation for his links to groups related to

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

, including the

Tacuara Nationalist Movement The ''Movimiento Nacionalista Tacuara'' (MNT, Tacuara Nationalist Movement) was an Argentine far right fascist movement. While officially established in 1957, its activities started in 1955, and continued through the 1960s, being integrated in ...

. On 1 December 2023, president-elect

Javier Milei Javier Gerardo Milei (born 22 October 1970) is an Argentine politician and economist who has served as President of Argentina since 2023. Milei also served as a national deputy representing the City of Buenos Aires for the party La Libertad ...

announced that Barra had been selected as the Solicitor General. He served in this role until his resignation on January 2025.

Early life and career

Barra was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

on 19 December 1947. During his youth, he was part of the Nationalist Union of High School Students, a political group linked to the Tacuara Nationalist Movement, a movement that incorporated

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

elements. In 1996, he was forced to resign after a '' Noticias'' investigation linked him to this group. Furthermore, the paper ''

Página 12 ''Página 12'' (sometimes stylised as ''Página/12'', ''Página, 12'' or ''Página12'') is a newspaper published in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was founded on 25 May 1987 by journalist Jorge Lanata and writers Osvaldo Soriano and Alberto Eliza ...

'' revealed he was arrested for an antisemitic terrorist attack on a synagogue. The ''Noticias'' investigation also revealed pictures of Barra performing the

Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...

. He would later apologize for his political activities during this time, saying "if I was a Nazi, I regret it".

Designation as Solicitor General of Argentina

On 2 December 2023, president-elect Javier Milei announced his designation as Solicitor General of Argentina (''Procuración del Tesoro de la Nación''), to become effective on 10 December 2023. His appointment caused outrage due to his neo-Nazi past. He served in this role until 25 January 2025, when he handed over his resignation to the Ministry of Justice. The government officially accepted his resignation three days later, on 28 January 2025.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barra, Rodolfo 1947 births 20th-century Argentine politicians 21st-century Argentine politicians Far-right politics in Argentina Argentine neo-Nazis Living people Ministers of justice of Argentina