Juan José Álvarez (born May 25, 1955, in Hurlingham, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) is an Argentine lawyer and politician affiliated with the Justicialist Party. He served as a National Deputy for Buenos Aires Province (2003–2011) and as Minister of Justice, Security, and Human Rights of Argentina under President Eduardo Duhalde (2002–2003).
Political Career
Álvarez was elected in 1995 as the first mayor (intendente) of the newly created municipality of Hurlingham, following its separation from the former Morón district. He was re-elected in 1999 and served until October 2001. During his tenure, the creation of the municipality was presented as a case study on municipal decentralization at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
In October 2001, he was appointed Minister of Security of Buenos Aires Province by Governor Carlos Ruckauf. Following the December 2001 Argentine economic crisis, President Adolfo Rodríguez Saá appointed him National Secretary of Interior Security, a position he held until July 2002.
On July 10, 2002, he was named Minister of Justice, Security, and Human Rights of Argentina, serving until May 25, 2003. He briefly returned as Minister of Security of Buenos Aires Province in September 2003 before resigning later that year.
He was elected as a National Deputy in 2003 and re-elected in 2007, serving until 2011. During his legislative tenure, he participated in committees related to interior security and constitutional affairs. In his second term, he was part of the Peronismo Federal inter-bloc.
Post-Cromagnon Tragedy Role
Following the República Cromañón nightclub fire on December 30, 2004, which caused 194 deaths, the Buenos Aires City government restructured its security area. In January 2005, Álvarez was appointed Secretary of Justice and Urban Security of Buenos Aires City.
Intelligence Service Involvement
According to journalistic investigations later confirmed by Álvarez himself, he worked for the SIDE (Secretariat of State Intelligence) during the last Argentine military dictatorship. He stated that his role was limited to minor administrative tasks and that he was neither an operational agent nor an analyst.
Publications
- Crisis de gobernabilidad y control en Argentina: propuestas para una reforma institucional (Buenos Aires: Ciudad Argentina, 2007, ISBN 978-84-95823-56-4) — an institutional analysis examining governance challenges in post-democracy Argentina, including hyper-presidentialism and mechanisms of control.
Álvarez retired from politics in 2015 and returned to practicing labor law in Hurlingham.
