During 2013, under the Kirchnerist government, Argentina maintained a very close relationship with Venezuela's Chavista regime. On May 8 of that year, the administration of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, currently prosecuted for corruption, granted Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro the Order of the Liberator San Martín, the highest distinction that the Argentine State can grant to foreign personalities in recognition of their merits and services.
At that time, the distinction was harshly criticized by broad sectors of society, due to the escalation of state violence in Venezuela under Maduro's dictatorship, with deaths, injuries, repression, political prisoners, and a severe economic crisis.
The award ceremony was held at the Bicentennial Museum and represented a symbol of the political bond between Kirchnerism and Chavismo. Maduro, visibly moved, thanked Cristina Kirchner for the gesture and expressed his wish that Venezuela could live up to the honor received.
Cristina Kirchner y Nicolás Maduro.
The Order of the Liberator General San Martín was created on August 17, 1943, during the de facto government of Pedro Pablo Ramírez, and acquired its current form in 1967 through Decree 16,643. The distinction is granted by a commission composed of the President of the Nation, who acts as "Grand Master," and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who serves as "Grand Chancellor." At that time, Héctor Timerman held that position.
Although the official headquarters of the decoration is located at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the award to Maduro was held at the Bicentennial Museum by direct decision of Cristina Kirchner. The Order has different ranks, ranging from "Grand Cross" to "Knight," and throughout history it has been granted to various international figures, including Queen Elizabeth II, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia.
Cristina Kirchner, condenada por corrupción.
A unique case was that of Eva Duarte de Perón, who in 1952 received a special version of the medal composed of thousands of pieces of gold, platinum, and precious stones; that jewel was later dismantled and auctioned after the 1955 Libertadora Revolution. Since 1957, the distinction can only be granted to foreign citizens.
In 2013, when Nicolás Maduro received the Order, Argentina maintained a close political relationship with Caracas. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered the Venezuelan dictator a strategic ally, and the ceremony was interpreted as a show of support for his bloody regime. Maduro thanked for the recognition and pledged to honor San Martín's legacy by "serving the homeland."
Years later, in 2017, then-president Mauricio Macri announced via Twitter that he was withdrawing the Order of the Liberator General San Martín from Nicolás Maduro, in repudiation of the human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by his regime against the Venezuelan people.
