Human rights organizations analyze black spots in the government's anti-terrorism register

The Register of Suspects and Suspects of Terrorism (Repet) is already active on the website of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and anyone can consult it by simply accessing the page. It worries the human rights organizations who are studying their darkest points, as they develop a strategy to challenge it.

The concerns cross several levels of the document. For starters, the fact that Anyone can end up in the list of suspects with only been imputed by a prosecutor in the preliminary stages of any legal proceedings.

Those who read and re-read with a critical eye Decree 489/2019 published last Wednesday in the Official Journal, describe it as "a low standard" to impose direct administrative sanctions such as freezing badets. In addition, they evoke other potential consequences arising from the public disclosure of the person's name, knowing that justice has already shown that it can sometimes be wrong. For example, in the case of the brothers Solomon arrested in 2018 for suspicion of links with Hezbollah and finally released.

The Islamic community will sue the state for the arrest of the Salomon brothers

Official word From the government, they say that the registry seeks to act preventively, which is why it can only be based on convictions if people suspected of links to terrorism are often fugitives from justice. In addition, they argue that it is to give transparency to an action already envisaged in Decree No. 918 of 2012 under which the financial reporting unit could block funds without any judicial inquiry.

What leads to the second of the critics on registration by organizations: its publication online when the annexed rules have not yet been regulated which refer to clear rules on advertising, access to information, protection of personal data, protocol of action to be included in the event of a judicial resolution and, most importantly, to know what is the mechanism of exclusion from the list. The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights badumes this responsibility according to the decree. Unofficially, the government ensures that the complementary rules should be in the coming days and resemble those of the national registry of recidivism.

Finally, the basic question regarding the definition of "terrorism", which raises fears beyond the register. In fact, it is a problem that is repeated around the world and concerns the criteria for clbadifying certain crimes under this figure. For example, in Chile, the incendiary attacks of Mapuches organizations on logging trucks are considered acts of this nature.

Agencies understand that the Repet is part of the same vision of the security world that the government shares with the United States, and therefore raises some concerns about the possible repressive use of social protest, which they reject Rosada when consulted. about. At the present time, the most critical voices know that it is difficult to attack the decree as long as the effects of its improper use on an accused are not visible.

Chile, interested in imitating

In his presentation at the Second Ministerial Conference against Terrorism, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged to follow the example of Argentina to declare the terrorist organization Hezbollah. And some of those present would be interested in this path for which they have expressed an interest in the Register of Entities and Persons Suspected of Terrorism.

Like Chile, which is one of the most internalized of the subject. On the day of the publication of Decree 489/2019, its president, Sebastián Piñera, participated in the Mercosur Santa Fe Summit and a Freedom Foundation event with Mauricio Macri, to whom a personal connection goes beyond the protocol.

The other governments concerned would be Brazil and Paraguay and it is not a coincidence. The security and justice sectors in these countries have been working for some time with Argentina on the Triple Border movements. In fact, the government believes that the registry could add more names related to these coordinates because not only is it registered because of suspicion of terrorist acts, in accordance with Article 41d, but also because suspicions of funding from these organizations, in accordance with Article 306. of the Penal Code.

MB / MC