Former Argentine president filed complaint with UN Human Rights Committee over her conviction in the Vialidad case, seeking suspension of political ban and review of house arrest conditions.
2:03 PM
Former Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner filed a complaint Wednesday with the United Nations Human Rights Committee regarding her conviction in the Vialidad case, according to her legal team.
Kirchner was sentenced to six years in prison, to be served under house arrest, and a lifetime ban from holding public office in connection with the awarding of major road construction contracts to a business associate during her two administrations. She announced the filing in a written statement, saying she was guided by "a deep civic sense and institutional respect" and by indignation at what she characterized as "illegalities" of which she said she was a victim.
Her legal team presented the complaint at a press conference Wednesday. The defense team includes Carlos Beraldi, who has represented Kirchner since the case began, along with two new advisers: Spanish lawyer Javier Borrego and Brazilian lawyer Rafael Valim. Valim is associated with the legal representation of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
According to Kirchner's lawyers, the judicial process violated guarantees established in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a treaty ratified by Argentina. In a column published in numerous international media outlets, Kirchner stated: "It is not a matter of resorting to an international body out of mere disagreement with judicial decisions. It is a matter of submitting to the scrutiny of International Human Rights Law the conduct of those who conducted my trial."
The defense team identified three priority measures, or cautelares, that they are requesting the committee resolve. The first seeks suspension of the political ban that prevents Kirchner from holding public office. The second requests a review of the conditions of her house arrest. The third calls for the recomposition of Argentina's Supreme Court of Justice, which currently consists of three magistrates.
Valim emphasized that the committee must address these three measures as a matter of priority in its review of the case. The complaint argues that the judicial proceedings in Argentina failed to meet international standards for due process and protection of civil and political rights.
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