The case for gender violence as a result of which the communist deputy Gerardo Núñez was summoned by the Family Justice to Enroll in a program for men who use violence resulted in the legislator submitting to the Tribunal of Political Conduct of the Broad Front.
The complaint, which had these consequences and will prevent the legislator from occupying his seat while he is being investigated by his party, was made by a woman with whom Núñez had a relationship for several months.
The complainant described before the Justice that she learned of the anonymous complaint of abuse against Núñez and then the legislator went to her house “untimely.” There –always according to the complainant’s account– he told her that if he did not leave he was going to call the police. “He asks me please not to speak, that in addition the girl with the plate ‘is not going to speak'”, he said referring to the anonymous publication on Instagram about which there is no complaint in Justice.
The issue came to light when the Communist Party issued a statement in which it referred to an anonymous complaint on Instagram that referred to an abusive situation involving Núñez. At that time, the PCU made itself available to those who wish to report a particular situation to them. However, before the Justice, the complainant said that when she found out what had been published by another person on Instagram, she went to the Communist Party to ask for help and that she was denied.
“With everything that happened due to the complaint on networks against Mr. Núñez, a statement from the political party that he is a member of is made public, so before it, I decide to approach those mentioned in search of help, communicating with a member, to whom I prefer not to mention it, but by phone he tells me that denouncing it will not have any consequence, that it helps me to remain silent, “he continued.
consulted by The Observer, the communist deputy Micaela Melgar responded: “The file is reserved at her request, which can be done because it is part of the victim care protocol. What I can say is that we made the pertinent statement, we did not receive a complaint through the Party’s channels – which are many – and that today the issue is being dealt with by the Broad Front’s Court of Political Conduct”.
Faced with repeated cross-examinations regarding his statements on April 19 – when he told The Observer that no complaint had reached the party circles, contrary to what was explained by the victim in court–, the deputy settled: “I support what I raised every time, the issue is being dealt with in the FA TCP after taking knowledge of a court decision.
Núñez, who has a degree in Psychology from the University of the Republic with a thesis presented in 2015 under the title “Community Psychology Interventions in Domestic Violence from a Gender Perspective“, met this Monday afternoon with the president of the Broad Front, Fernando Pereira, and they agreed that he leave his seat in the Chamber of Deputies while the Court of Political Conduct analyzes the case.
The legal background
“There is evidence of a relationship between the complainant and Núñez, marked by events that led to the affectation of the complainant, which must be attended to, arranging what is necessary for her protection,” declared Specialized Family Judge Karen Cuadrado, who, based on national and international regulations, ordered that Núñez must “attend the program of the Municipality of Montevideo, ‘Men who decide to stop exercising violence,'” the Domino Project, an initiative of an NGO focused on men who exercise gender violence, or at their “health care service”. He was also prohibited from approaching less than 500 meters from the complainant, La Diaria reported and confirmed. The Observer.
In her resolution, Judge Cuadrado does not refer to whether the events denounced by the young woman in a 20-page text occurred in the way she described it, but a report from the technical support team for Justice, signed by the Labor graduate Social Karina Rodríguez and the psychologist Gastón Trucelli, it is stated that Núñez warned that there were times “when he did not know how to adequately handle the situation.”
In this instance of the process, the specialized family judges who receive complaints of gender violence take precautionary measures and care for the initial victims, and then the process continues. After a few weeks, they must reconvene the parties and verify that the measures set for a certain period have been complied with.
Núñez’s defense pointed out that “some of the reported facts are not true” and at the hearing the deputy denied that there had been situations of violence and said that she was “very jealous.” He argued that she felt in a difficult situation because of the young woman’s emotional fragility. “I think the situation was from another plane, of me feeling involved in a manipulation scenario. I didn’t feel like I influenced her,” he said.
In her story, the complainant states that they began a relationship in mid-2020, but it was a year later when the psychological abuse began, which made her “feel depressed”, which is why she requested psychological assistance. After that, she began to feel “increasingly subject to manipulation” by Núñez.
He stated that every time he felt vulnerable due to an altercation with him, he took “randomly” the anxiolytics that had been prescribed for him. She was careful not to let him know so as not to “unleash her wrath” on her. That happened – as she denounced – in the midst of criticism and claims for how she was or how she acted.
In another passage, he describes that, as a result of the medications he took “many times”, he was “unconscious” having no recollection of “some instances” in which they had sexual intercourse and that he found out what had happened “when he woke up”, he expressed and He assured that he does not want to file a criminal complaint for those charges. Núñez denied it “in all his terms.”
Two situations in which he could have died are also described (one in the first person in his complaint and the other by his psychologist) – one by suicide and the other by accident – and, with Núñez present, he did not intend to avoid the situation.
On one occasion, the complainant contacted him so that they could meet near the coast of the Río de la Plata. She was “confused and dizzy” from the amount of anti-anxiety medication she had taken, which could have caused her to stumble and drown. In that case, as she told her psychologist, the deputy withdrew. He said that he saw her from a distance, sitting up, he thought she was “okay” and so he left.
The other situation described refers to the fact that Núñez, aware of the problems that the complainant had, facilitated access to a weapon. He told her where he was, he left her in sight and in some case he mentioned that if he wanted to grab her. The legislator denied that this happened.
The complainant had narrated several of these events on her Twitter account on March 15.
In addition, over time, he began to consume an excessive amount of anxiolytics in front of him, who, according to the complainant, stated that he did not care about the situation. In the complaint, his sponsoring attorney cites a passage from a Court of Appeals ruling that states: “Psychological or emotional violence is defined as any action, omission, pattern of conduct that is aimed at disturbing, degrading or controlling the conduct, behavior, beliefs or decisions of a woman, through humiliation, intimidation, isolation or any other means that affects her emotional or psychological stability”.
The courses that Núñez can choose after the judicial injunction
Justice ordered Núñez to “attend the program of the Municipality of Montevideo, ‘Men who decide to stop exercising violence'”, to the Domino Project, an initiative of an NGO focused on men who exercise gender violence, or to its “service of medical care”.
The program of the Municipality of Montevideo, according to its website, “is a space for group reflection to become aware of the negative consequences of these attitudes and how they influence” the environment. Attention is aimed at men over 18 years of age who recognize the exercise of violence.
The coordinator of the Domino Project, Juan José Vega, told Montevideo Portal in 2017 that they work with prosecuted men and use Robert Parrado’s socio-educational model, which is designed for men who do not admit to being violent. At that time, an evaluation was made in several instances and then a report was sent to the Justice.
