The Argentine association Usina de Justicia adhered to the OAS

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) unanimously approved the request for Usina Civil Association of Justicia to be part of registered civil organizations in the body.

"Although living in the most violent region of the world, We are the first civil society organization on this subject to join the OAS"He said to Infobae the director of the badociation, Diana Cohen Agrest.

Usina of Justicia was founded in 2014 but it began to take shape three years ago, when the son of the philosopher Cohen Agrest was murdered by a delinquent on probation.

Ezequiel Agrest, 26 years old, died on July 8, 2011 in an apartment when he tried to defend a student comrade at his home in the Caballito district of Buenos Aires.

After the trial, the murderer of Ezequiel, Sebastián Pantano – son of a former federal police officer – sentenced in 2013 to 18 years in prison for the death of the young student, Cohen Agrest founded Usina de Justicia to help families of victims of crime to achieve "fair justice".

Among its main goals, the badociation seeks to "defend, promote the rights and encourage the participation of victims in the criminal process and the execution of sentences, coordinate public policies with the national and provincial authorities in order to improve the prevention of serious criminal conduct and badisting victims of homicide through interinstitutional collaboration and the provision of useful resources. "

Thanks to constant and qualified work, Usina has managed to become a national reference in the defense of victims of crime and its expertise now transcends our borders.

It should be noted that the badociation is not exclusively composed of family members of victims of criminal violence: they are also active members. lawyers, judges, psychologists, communicators and other professionals sensitized by a scourge that successive governments fail to repress.

In this sense, the badociation came to fill a void in terms of victim badistance and contributed to public debate on the issue of security, both from a preventive and punitive point of view.

Last year, the badociation participated for the first time in a meeting of the OAS but as a guest.

"Today, we are already one of 300 registered civil society organizations from all over America, and we return to the OAS in June, "said Diana Cohen.

The Association celebrated the news in a statement in which it reads: "Usina de Justicia has just been approved by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States. All countries in the region unanimously voted in favor of our incorporation as a member of the civil society of this international organization. We seek to dedicate the rights of victims throughout the Americas. We are fighting for a safer region without violence and impunity. "

The OAS has stressed the importance of "being able to count on their continued interest in strengthening and continuing to strengthen mechanisms of cooperation between civil society organizations and OAS member states".