Argentine judge finds sufficient evidence to charge ex-President with committing gender violence
Fernández stands accused of causing 'minor and serious injuries, aggravated by having been committed in a context of gender violence and against her partner on two occasions,' according to a ruling issued Monday by federal judge Julián Ercolini and seen by The Associated Press.
Ercolini also placed a freeze of 10 million pesos (about $8 million) on part of Fernández's assets.
Fernández, 65, a left-leaning Peronist politician who was president of Argentina from 2019 to 2023, has denied the incidents that Yáñez, 43, reported in August 2024.
Following the woman's complaint, a prosecutor accused Fernández last year, initiating a formal investigation. Judge Ercolini, adhering to Argentine legal deadlines, subsequently ruled that sufficient evidence exists to proceed with formal charges against him.
Fernández can appeal this decision, and the case will only proceed to trial after rulings from higher courts. This appellate process could take years.
After being elected president in 2019, 'the physical violence would have continued and escalated, more precisely after she became pregnant (towards the end of July-beginning of August 2021), in the form of neck grabs, shaking, open-handed slaps and blows that caused injuries to the body of the aforementioned,' Ercolini wrote.
Evidence considered by the judge include WhatsApp conversations that Yáñez had with the private secretary of the then president (containing photos of her injuries), Yáñez's testimony, medical certificates, and corroborating testimony from family and friends.
According to the judge, eight years of 'psychological and physical aggression' would have left Yáñez with 'psychological damage, causing a permanent deterioration of her health.'
If convicted and found guilty, the former president could face a maximum of 18 years in prison.
____
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Ecuador extradites leader of violent Ecuadorian drug gang to the United States
QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador on Sunday extradited to the United States the leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang who relied on hitmen, bribes and military weapons to do business. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is 'Fito,' escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and was recaptured late June. In April, a U.S. Attorney indicted him in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States. Macías 'was removed from the La Roca Detention Center under the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces for the appropriate proceedings in the context of an extradition process,' Ecuador's government agency responsible for overseeing prisons, SNAI, said in a message sent to journalists. Details of the handover were not specified. A photograph released by SNAI showed Macías wearing a T-shirt, shorts, a bulletproof vest and helmet. Several police officers were guarding him at an undisclosed location. The Ecuadorian will appear Monday before Brooklyn's federal court 'where he will plead not guilty,' Macías' lawyer Alexei Schacht told The Associated Press via email. After that, he will be detained in a prison yet to be determined, Schacht added. The extradition decision came after the United States sent a document to Ecuador offering guarantees for the respect of the rights of the 45-year-old criminal leader. Since 2020, Macías has led 'Los Choneros,' a criminal organization that emerged in the 1990s. The gang employed people to buy firearms and ammunition in the United States and smuggle them into Ecuador, according to April's indictment. Cocaine would flow into the United States with the help of Mexican cartels. Together, the groups controlled key cocaine trafficking routes through Ecuador, violently targeting law enforcement, politicians, lawyers and civilians who stood in the way. Macías escaped from a Guayaquil prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime, and murder. He was recaptured a year and a half later on the country's central coast. Macías has cultivated a cult status among fellow gang members and the public in his home country. While behind bars in 2023, he released a video addressed to 'the Ecuadorian people' while flanked by armed men. He also threw parties in prison, where he had access to everything from liquor to roosters for cockfighting matches. Macías is the first Ecuadorian to be extradited to the U.S. from Ecuador, prison authorities said. Two other Ecuadorian drug traffickers have previously been handed over to the United States but from Colombia, where they were arrested.
North Wales Chronicle
14 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Syria's armed Bedouins say they have withdrawn from Druze-majority city
The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile post-war transition. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins. The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. A series of tit-for-tat kidnappings sparked the clashes in various towns and villages in the province, which later spread to Sweida city, the provincial capital. Government forces were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted on Thursday, before withdrawing again. Interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, who has been perceived as more sympathetic to the Bedouins, had tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of the militias. He later urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying that they 'cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country's affairs and restoring security'. 'We thank the Bedouins for their heroic stances but demand they fully commit to the ceasefire and comply with the state's orders,' he said in an address broadcast on Saturday. Dozens of armed Bedouin fighters alongside other clans from around the country who came to support them remained on the outskirts of the city and were cordoned off by government security forces and military police. They blame the clashes on the Druze factions loyal to spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and accuse them of harming Bedouin families. 'We will not leave until he turns himself in alongside those with him who tried to stir sedition. And only then will we go home,' Khaled al-Mohammad, who came to the southern province alongside other tribesman from the eastern Deir al-Zour province, told The Associated Press. The Bedouins' withdrawal brought a cautious calm to the area, with humanitarian convoys on their way. The Syrian Red Crescent said on Sunday that it had sent 32 trucks loaded with food, medicine, water, fuel and other aid, after the fighting left the province with power cuts and shortages. Syria's state news agency SANA reported that the convoy entered Sweida on Sunday, but accused Mr al-Hijri and his armed Druze supporters of turning back a government delegation that accompanied another convoy. The foreign ministry in a statement said the convoy accompanying the delegation had two ambulances loaded with aid provided by local and international organisations. Mr al-Hijri did not directly respond to the accusations but said in a statement that he welcomed any assistance for Sweida and slammed what he claims were distorted campaigns against him. 'We reaffirm that we have no dispute with anyone on any religious or ethnic basis,' the statement read. 'Shame and disgrace be upon all those who seek to sow discord and hatred in the minds of young people.' The UN International Organisation for Migration said 128,571 people were displaced during the clashes, including 43,000 on Saturday alone. Washington's special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said the clashes and atrocities 'overshadowed' an initial cautious optimism about the country's post-war transition and the international community's lifting of sanctions. 'All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance,' Mr Barrack said on X. 'Syria stands at a critical juncture — peace and dialogue must prevail — and prevail now.'
South Wales Guardian
14 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Syria's armed Bedouins say they have withdrawn from Druze-majority city
The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile post-war transition. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins. The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. A series of tit-for-tat kidnappings sparked the clashes in various towns and villages in the province, which later spread to Sweida city, the provincial capital. Government forces were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted on Thursday, before withdrawing again. Interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, who has been perceived as more sympathetic to the Bedouins, had tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of the militias. He later urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying that they 'cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country's affairs and restoring security'. 'We thank the Bedouins for their heroic stances but demand they fully commit to the ceasefire and comply with the state's orders,' he said in an address broadcast on Saturday. Dozens of armed Bedouin fighters alongside other clans from around the country who came to support them remained on the outskirts of the city and were cordoned off by government security forces and military police. They blame the clashes on the Druze factions loyal to spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and accuse them of harming Bedouin families. 'We will not leave until he turns himself in alongside those with him who tried to stir sedition. And only then will we go home,' Khaled al-Mohammad, who came to the southern province alongside other tribesman from the eastern Deir al-Zour province, told The Associated Press. The Bedouins' withdrawal brought a cautious calm to the area, with humanitarian convoys on their way. The Syrian Red Crescent said on Sunday that it had sent 32 trucks loaded with food, medicine, water, fuel and other aid, after the fighting left the province with power cuts and shortages. Syria's state news agency SANA reported that the convoy entered Sweida on Sunday, but accused Mr al-Hijri and his armed Druze supporters of turning back a government delegation that accompanied another convoy. The foreign ministry in a statement said the convoy accompanying the delegation had two ambulances loaded with aid provided by local and international organisations. Mr al-Hijri did not directly respond to the accusations but said in a statement that he welcomed any assistance for Sweida and slammed what he claims were distorted campaigns against him. 'We reaffirm that we have no dispute with anyone on any religious or ethnic basis,' the statement read. 'Shame and disgrace be upon all those who seek to sow discord and hatred in the minds of young people.' The UN International Organisation for Migration said 128,571 people were displaced during the clashes, including 43,000 on Saturday alone. Washington's special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said the clashes and atrocities 'overshadowed' an initial cautious optimism about the country's post-war transition and the international community's lifting of sanctions. 'All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance,' Mr Barrack said on X. 'Syria stands at a critical juncture — peace and dialogue must prevail — and prevail now.'
