In a context in which cases of institutional violence are multiplying in different parts of the country, the disappearance of Facundo Astudillo Castro causes frictions in the Front of All. Sectors of progressivism and Kirchnerism propose questions to the official position about the fact. Meanwhile, the governments of Alberto Fernández and Axel Kicillof seek to contain them and temper criticism, remain cautious and closely follow the investigation, which this week will enter a key phase. The target of the harshest criticism is the Buenos Aires Minister of Security, Sergio Berni.
The mother of the young man who disappeared on April 30, Cristina Castro, will be received this Monday at noon by the President, at Quinta de Olivos. Meanwhile, he points out the Buenos Aires police as responsible, questions the federal prosecutor of Bahía Blanca, Santiago Ulpiano Martínez, and asks for Berni’s resignation.
With nuances, the left parties they have the same approach. Last week they marched twice together with Libres del Sur and other social groups to the House of the Province of Buenos Aires and the Plaza de Mayo. Under the slogans “Appearance with Life of Facundo Astudillo” and “Where is Facundo?”, They targeted the Buenos Aires Ministry of Security. This week, the protests will continue in the sixth march against the “easy trigger.”
Both Alberto Fernández and Kicillof made themselves available to Astudillo Castro’s mother and expressed their wishes that the case be clarified, but said that they should wait for the advances of the Justice to take more measures.
This attitude is considered “not very decisive” by the progressive sectors of the ruling coalition linked to the struggle for human rights, who press from the bottom. They ask for a more “vehement” tone, they resent the delay on the part of the ruling party leadership to refer publicly to the case and demand greater support from the family. In that sense, they intend that “it is not only loving restraint, but a decisive attitude.”
Referents of the Somos space and the Evita Movement, where the issue is debated internally, expressed their disagreement with the official attitude. Some criticism was sent through the Human Rights Secretariat, led by Horacio Pietragalla. For now they are discreet comments, but “notorious”. Meanwhile, the tension in these sectors regarding the official position on the case is also evident in social networks.
At the Casa Rosada they acknowledge receipt of these signals, and they follow the case with concern. The course of the investigation was the focus of conversations at the Cabinet Headquarters, especially last week, after the remains of a body that could be Facundo’s appeared. “The idea is to contain those sectors,” he told THE NATION an official source.
In the near future, apart from the meeting that Alberto Fernández will have with the young man’s mother, they remain firm in the position of not forcing measures until there are concrete advances of Justice.
“We see this with great concern, it hurts us that it does not appear and we share the pain of the mother and the family. We hope it will be clarified. But there is no evidence or concrete data and they must be clarified. Today I have no evidence or data to hold responsible to the police, “he told THE NATION Fernando “Chino” Navarro, reference of the Evita Movement and national official.
Near Kicillof they say: “From minute zero we made everything available.” They emphasize that they understand “the pain” of Facundo’s mother and that they will be “implacable” if there is evidence of the possible responsibility of the Buenos Aires police. But they repeat: “We are going to be governed strictly by what the Justice says. We are not going to prejudge or cover up anyone.” Regarding the family’s complaints of irregularities and illegal constraints, they insist: “We are not going to be complicit, but we need proof.”
Some criticisms within the Frente de Todos point to Berni. Both because of his position in the particular context of this cause and because of his possible electoral aspirations, raised with an almost theatrical hyper-presence at the head of police operations. In the Buenos Aires government they avoid publicly questioning him, although they admit that his recent reappearance on the scene caused rejection: the former Secretary of Security of Cristina Kirchner published a striking spot on his Twitter account with a focus on security, with a curious detail: the official brand appeared of the province of Buenos Aires. The use of that seal in the current context fell ill. They were not aware that it would be published.
Comparison with the Maldonado case
Meanwhile, voices appear in the plot that compare the case of Facundo Astudillo with that of Santiago Maldonado. Initially labeled as “forced disappearance”, in both there were suspicions against a state force and complaints of irregularities.
In any case, those same critical expressions highlight the “notable” difference between the position of the current national authorities and that of former minister Patricia Bullrich after the action of the Gendarmerie in the south in the case that ended with the death of the activist.
The parallelism with the Maldonado case causes rejection in the ruling party. Security Minister Sabina Frederic, even publicly confronted with Berni, told Profile days ago that “the circumstances were different.” And Máximo Kirchner called “miserables” to those who compare the cases. At the bottom, in the Buenos Aires government they coincide: “They do not look alike”.
On the 1st of this month, on the third anniversary of the event, Sergio Maldonado read a document in which he demanded justice for his brother; Among questions to Mauricio Macri and Bullrich, he referred to Facundo’s disappearance: “We hoped that President Alberto Fernández would give a clear message that he accompanied the family in their request for truth and justice,” said.
Meanwhile, the left rants against social movements, parties and groups of progressivism that make up the Government for their “deathly silence” regarding the case of Facundo Astudillo Castro.
“When groups for the defense of human rights cease to be independent from the State, they cease to be effective,” said a reference in the sector.
ALSO
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