Through its profile on the social network Twitter, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo association reiterated its willingness to continue accompanying the demand for justice for the young man, whose death occurred six years ago.
On August 1, 2017, Maldonado was seen alive for the last time after participating in a protest by the Pu Lof Mapuche community in Resistencia, province of Chubut, which was repressed by the Gendarmerie.
After 78 days of searching, his body was found floating in the waters of the river near where the events occurred.
At that time, the country was under the mandate of former President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) and the Security Minister was Patricia Bullrich, current leader of the Republican Proposal Party and presidential candidate of the Together for Change alliance. In a statement, the Association of Disappeared Former Detainees denounced the impunity of those responsible and the irregularities committed in the judicial process.
“Judge Lleral acquitted the gendarme Emmanuel Echazú, who was accused of the forced disappearance of Maldonado, and the agents Juan Pablo Escola, Víctor Vaquila Ocampo and Marcelo Ferreyra, accused of having committed the crimes of damage, abuse of authority and omission of the duties of a public official”, the text states.
As we said, the case is riddled with irregularities, omissions, contradictions, and a lack of expert reports; however, for Lleral “none of the events and human actions analyzed are likely to be considered crimes,” he adds.
Likewise, he demands trial and punishment for those involved in this crime and the police officers who recently repressed a group of protesters in this capital, an action during which photojournalist Facundo Morales died. For his part, Maldonado’s brother, Sergio, stated that what happened “confirms the impunity pact for Bullrich and the national Gendarmerie.”
The judge suspended the virtual reconstruction of the events and informed the Supreme Court of his decision.
As he did in 2017, he plays Together for Change partisan politics. Shortly before the elections of that year and after the discovery of the body, he affirmed that Santiago had drowned alone. History repeats itself again, hours before the primary elections on Sunday, he pointed out.
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