The Secretary of Human Rights, Horacio Pietragalla Corti, said on Friday that the Government is evaluating “doing political trial to the Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation“for the delay in taking action before the causes for the Blackout Night against the owner of the Ingenio Ledesma, Carlos Pedro Blaquier, who will not be able to continue in the process due to “mental health problems,” according to forensic experts reported on Thursday.
Human rights organizations Jujuy children and the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), for its part, rejected the delays by the Judicial Branch that allowed “biological impunity” for the owner of the Ledesma Sugar Mill in two cases for crimes against humanity and agreed that progress should be made “quickly” in the trial of the administrator of the wit, Alberto Lemos, 79 years old.
“Our experts, who have great respect (for memory, truth and justice), say that Blaquier is in an almost senile situation with 94 years” and “that makes us have biological impunity of Justice“said the official in statements to El Uncover Radio.
Pietragalla Corti pointed out against Cassation and the Supreme Court of Justice for “sleeping” the request for review of the Blaquier case for years and affirmed that The possibility of impeachment of the Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation is being evaluated.
In that sense, he stressed that it is “an emblematic case of civil and economic responsibility with the dictatorship”, in which “there is no doubt whatsoever that Blaquier had a management of the energy of the people (to carry out the Night of the Blackout), lent the trucks of the companies to go out to hijack both organized workers and political activists. “
Along these lines, he denounced that the wife of the current vice president of the Supreme Court, Carlos Rosenkrantz, was part of the same foundation together with Blaquier’s wife and expressed: “What surprises us is how Rosenkrantz did not run of this cause “.
“We have a structural problem of Justice Argentina, “the official warned and pointed out that this Court” cannot face the work and the quality it has to have. “
He also suggested making “a structural change of the Supreme Court “, because it considered that there is” a weak Justice, which has already lost credibility in society that is stopped in causes that are very important for our democracy but that accelerate and give priority to causes related to political situations. “
Blaquier is on trial alongside the then manager of the mill, Alberto Lemos, in two causes by Crimes against humanity that they were raised to oral trial and Pietragalla Corti affirmed that “the case will continue, it will be prosecuted and it will go to trial.”
The lawyer for the Hijos Jujuy lawsuit, María José Castillo, told Télam that “the Judicial Power is responsible for Argentina not having complied with its international obligation to judge these serious crimes in a timely manner.”
Although he clarified that the oral court must resolve the sentence and opinion of the Forensic Medical Corps, “it is very likely that the court will follow the opinion and Blaquier will be removed due to his state of mental health” and pointed out that “surely institutional political actions will have to be taken to reveal that here there was a complicity of Cassation and the Court to make this happen “.
From Hijos Jujuy they asked the Human Rights Secretariat for a political trial of Cassation and the Supreme Court of Justice for “repair and take responsibility to those who guaranteed Blaquier’s biological impunity. “
For her part, Eva Arroyo, referring to the complainant organization, told Télam that the oral court ruling on Blaquier is expected in February, after the judicial fair and pointed out that “the responsibility lies with the Judicial Power, which delayed both the case and guaranteed biological impunity. “
Arroyo, for his part, pointed out that they achieved “a social condemnation“, because” today (Ledesma) is no longer a thriving company “, but” a company linked to State terrorism, crimes against humanity and the accused directory “.
In turn, Sol Hourcade, a lawyer and coordinator of the CELS Memory, Truth and Justice team, told Télam that they insisted “on all possible instances at the national and international level due to these delays“, which” were inadmissible and we are seeing the result. “
In this context, he pointed out that “they are consistent in all stages of the process, that when it comes to civil, business and economic responsibilities they are deepened “.
Hourcade stressed the importance of “moving quickly to judge” Lemos, while Arroyo agreed, saying that “he has to go to trial quickly because he is 79 years old.”
Blaquier and Lemos were indicted as necessary stakeholders of the Night of the Blackout, as it is known the illegal detention of about 400 people, among them workers of the company, happened between July 20 and 27, 1976.
The businessman and his collaborator are accused of provide vehicles and personnel from the mill for this repressive operation, as stated in various testimonies of survivors, in the framework of cases for crimes against humanity.
Members of the Forensic Medical Corps and two experts from the Human Rights Secretariat ruled that “the cognitive impairment presented by the accused (Blaquier, 94) does not allow him to face an oral debate,” as it became known on Thursday.
The Human Rights Secretariat stated that the criminal case was paralyzed for eight years in the Federal Criminal Cassation Chamber first and in the Supreme Court later.
#Biological Impunity After 8 years of unjustified delays by the Judiciary, the causes for the crimes committed at Ingenio Ledesma will not be charged with Carlos Pedro Blaquier, who at 94 years of age will not be able to continue in the process due to mental health problems. pic.twitter.com/pCFK28xK8i
– Human Rights Secretariat (@SDHArgentina) December 30, 2021
