Argentine lawyer changes defense strategy after racism charges in Brazil

Agostina Páez, a 29-year-old Argentine lawyer from Santiago del Estero, issued a public apology Wednesday after weeks of silence regarding racism charges in Brazil. In a voice message, Páez stated: "I have committed an error from which I have learned. I had an incorrect reaction, letting anger dominate me, and I am paying the consequences. I apologize to anyone who may have felt offended."

Páez arrived in Brazil as a tourist and is currently under house arrest in Rio de Janeiro with an electronic ankle monitor. She was investigated after an incident on January 14 at a bar in Ipanema, where she made gestures imitating a monkey in front of bar staff.

The shift in her legal approach came after a two-hour meeting with Brazilian lawyer Carla Andrade Junqueira, who assumed formal representation of the case. Junqueira explained the change in strategy to media outlets, stating: "She committed an error and a crime. What we have to discuss is how she will serve the sentence."

Junqueira was critical of Páez's previous defense strategy. According to reports, the former approach included claims that Páez was a victim of violence and that this prompted her reaction. The previous defense also advised her to maintain silence and accuse the victim. Junqueira rejected this approach upon taking the case.

The new legal strategy aims to secure recognition of the facts in light of video evidence, with the goal of negotiating that any eventual sentence could be served in Argentina rather than Brazil. Junqueira noted that in Brazil, crimes related to racism "do not go unpunished."