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Newlyweds Alejandro Freyre (right) and Jose Maria Di Bello. Argentina became the first Latin American country to allow civil unions by same-sex couples in 2002.

Two Argentine men have become the first same-sex couple to marry legally in Latin America. 

Alejandro Freyre, 39, and Jose Maria Di Bello, 41, tied the knot in a civil ceremony in the southern city of Ushuaia, in Tierra del Fuego province. 

Gay marriage is illegal in Argentina. However, the Tierra del Fuego governor issued a special decree allowing the couple to wed there.

Roman Catholic leaders in the country expressed alarm at the move. 

A judge in the capital, Buenos Aires, prevented the couple from marrying there earlier this month. 

The men, who are both HIV-positive, had planned to get married on 1 December, World Aids day.

They eventually travelled to Tierra del Fuego, where they received the support of provincial governor Fabiana Rios. 

Although Argentina's civil code bans gay marriage, the constitution is silent on the matter.