“Corrupt practices with impunity”: the harsh American report on Argentina which mentions Cristina Kirchner and Mauricio Macri

The annual report on the state of human rights in the world in 2020, prepared by the government of United States, on Tuesday warned that Argentinian executive, legislative and judicial officials “participated in corrupt practices with impunity“.

“The law establishes criminal penalties for corruption of officials; however, several reports alleged that the executive, legislative and judicial officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity, which suggests a lack of effective implementation of the law, ”warns the document, in its Spanish version, presented by the US State Department.

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And I add: “Weak institutions and an often inefficient and politicized justice system have undermined systematic attempts to fight corruption”By the government of Alberto Fernández. The report was presented by the Secretary of State, Antony blink to the White House.

What the report says

In the chapter devoted to corruption in the country, the report cites the investigations “against political figures in office and former senior officials, including the vice-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the former president Mauricio Macri“.

In this context, he evokes the cause of notebooks in which the ex-president and 52 others “were accused of receiving bribes, paying bribes, or both in public works contracts between 2008 and 2015. Prosecutors estimated the total value of the corruption system at $ 160 million. Fernández de Kirchner and his children faced five more cases of financial corruption in November, ”he said. Macri was mentioned by the investigation of the suspected illegal espionage under his government.

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In addition, he alluded to the case of the former Minister of Planning Julio De Vido. “Sentenced to five years and eight months for fraud, embezzlement and lack of supervision linked to a train accident in 2012 which killed 52 people,” the report said.

He also warned that “corruption has occurred in some security forces”. And he clarified: The most frequent abuses included extortion and protection of those involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering and the promotion of prostitution. Reports of corruption in provincial and federal courts were also common“.

Human rights

In the chapter on personal integrity, the document stated that “there were several reports that the government or its agents had committed arbitrary or unlawful killings.”

“The Committee against Torture of the Provincial Commission for the Memory of the City of Buenos Aires reported 134 deaths in 2019 due to the use of unwarranted or excessive force by the police in the metropolitan area of ​​Buenos Aires. A national non-governmental organization (NGO) reported that there were 401 deaths in 2019 at the hands of police forces. The two organizations claimed that investigations into police violence and the use of lethal force in the province were limited, ”he warned.

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He also warned that “there had been reports of disappearances by the security forces or on their behalf during the year” and among the cases, he mentions that of Facundo Astudillo Castro, who “disappeared on April 30 while hitchhiking about 120 kilometers from his home in Bahía Blanca, shortly after police arrested him for violating the COVID-19 quarantine” .

He also cited the Office of the Penitentiary Mediator (PPN), an independent government body that monitors conditions of detention, which “reported 427 cases of torture or ill-treatment in 2019. As of June, it had registered 87 cases.” he said.

And he warned: “Impunity continues to be a major problem in security forces at all levels. Corruption and a slow, politicized justice system hampered efforts to investigate abuse. Overall, the government has denounced reported abuses and made efforts to train military and security forces at all levels in human rights, including through online training during the pandemic. COVID-19. “

On the other hand, the document stated that the government “generally complied” with requirements that prohibited arbitrary arrests and detentions and stated that “the police generally detain people openly with court orders based on sufficient evidence and issued by an official. duly authorized official ”. .

Justice and “political manipulation”

In addition, he noted that “the law establishes an independent judiciary, but government officials at all levels have not always respected the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. According to local NGOs, judges of some federal criminal and ordinary courts were sometimes political manipulation“, He warned.

He added: “Long delays, procedural backlogs, long gaps in the appointment of permanent judges, insufficient administrative support and general inefficiency. hampered the justice system. The wide discretion of judges over the conduct of investigations and how to do so has contributed to the public perception that many decisions were arbitrary ”.

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The report also pointed out that “there were no reports of political prisoners or detained ”.

Freedom of press

At this point, the State Department document stated that “the constitution establishes freedom of speech, including that of the press, and the government in general respected this right. An independent press and a democratic political system combine to promote freedom of expression, including the press, ”he said.

“The independent media have been active and expressed a wide range of views without restriction,” the report continued, warning that “physical assaults have been reported, threats and harassment against journalists“.

In addition, the report assured that the government respects Internet freedom, freedom of assembly and peaceful associations. In the context of the pandemic and the restrictive measures, he referred to the “large-scale anti-government protests in Buenos Aires and across the country” which “went off without incident”.