Maria Lujan Rey: “Victims of the tragedy oppose the house arrest of Julio de Vido”

He added: “Being over 70 years old does not exempt you from going to prison.” Maria Lujan Reymother of Lucas Minguini Rey, one of the 52 victims of the tragedy. The current director of the Observatory for Victims of Crime celebrated the ratification of the sentence against former Minister Julio de Vido and announced that family members would oppose any benefit: “We will refuse to grant him house arrest. He must serve four years in a common prison, as appropriate.” in Fontificia modeon Net TV and Perfil Radio (AM 1190). , also questioned the lack of government railway policy: “We still rely on luck when traveling.” Fontificia modeon Net TV and Perfil Radio (AM 1190).

María Lujan Rey is an educator, activist and current Director General of the Observatory for Victims of Crime of the House of Representatives. She served as the National Representative of the Province of Buenos Aires during the period 2019-2023. She is the mother of Lucas Minguini Rey, one of the victims of the fateful Once Upon a Time tragedy of 2012, in which 52 people died.

What happened to you when you learned yesterday afternoon that an accident had occurred, fortunately without fatalities this time, near Liniers, on the same branch of the Sarmiento train?

Like everyone, when we saw the images on TV, it was impossible not to relive the images from February 2012. As of February 21, 2012, there was uncertainty about knowing if there were injuries, if this was true, or if there were deaths. Fortunately, listening to Dr. Crescenti brought us peace of mind, knowing that there are minor injuries. But wait, it’s not a mixture of feelings: on the one hand, receiving the news of the conviction of former Minister Julio de Vido, and on the other hand, two years later, we still rely on luck when traveling.

Now, haven’t we learned anything?

Yes, I think we often trust luck. The truth is that The answers given always seem like correctionsLike bandages on a terrible wound that needs surgery. air conditionerThere is a need for a deep state policy regarding railwaysand Which goes beyond governmentsKnowing thatThis will take years. But hey, someone has to start it. What we saw is: We are repairing, we are repairing… The train that we saw derailed, are trains that were purchased after the tragedy of Wence. Those trains cost us lives, but the railway system is not just the rolling stock: it is the tracks, the stations and the signaling system. And all of that must be preserved, it must be updated. I feel like we’re doing what’s fair and necessary, but there’s no forward-looking vision of, ‘Let’s get back on track, let’s make investments, no matter how long it takes.’ Let’s go back to having a train not just for passengers. A strong railway network also allows for the transport of goods.

The Supreme Court upheld Julio de Vido’s four-year prison sentence and he must appear in court on Thursday, the 13th.

We return to the discussion and it seems like a vicious circle, because now the proposal again is “let’s privatize the trains again”. Every time the pendulum swings: we nationalize it, we privatize it, but it remains bad. Is this the solution today to privatize it again?

Tragedy once happened during the Special Administration. The truth is that it can be discussed, and I understand that everyone can have a position on public administration or private administration, but There are some issues that cannot be delegatedwhich is the authority and obligation of the national state. It doesn’t matter who runs the service. What was given is service. But the carriages, the tracks, the stations, the workshops, all have always been the property of the national state.

Must Take care of your assets firstFor his assets, which were proven in the event of a tragedy that he did not take care of them. Secondly, you have to commit to it Citizen care Through oversight mechanisms. Therefore, there is no way for the state to delegate this task. Now, the question of public or private is another debate: whether public or private, it is necessary for the state to control it.

No passenger is interested in knowing whether the person running the service is a private company or a national state. What matters to the passenger is to ride the train in decent conditionstravel in a dignified manner, and above all, security; That you have a flight that reaches its destination on time and in good condition. Who does that? It doesn’t matter. The truth is that what matters to the passenger and what he needs is to ensure a decent and safe journey. This is the responsibility of the national state. Now, if you’re going to do it through a private company, well, do it.

Today, De Fido is demanding that it be reviewed, that the ruling is arbitrary, and that it be reviewed. What do you see in this?

No, you can’t ask for anything anymore. The Supreme Court has already ratified the conviction. He was sentenced to four years in prison for the tragedy once. You have to show up and deliver. The only thing he can do now, which his lawyer has already done, and which he will certainly insist on tomorrow when he appears before the courts of Comodoro Bay, is to ask for a trial. benefitsuch as house arrest. He must be raising some health issues, or he’s over 70 years old. to victims law, In 2018, the judge implementing the sentence, when faced with an application for benefits, has jurisdiction Commitment to inform victims And listen to our position on this issue. It is clear We will refuse to have this advantage..

We consider, first of all, that Being over 70 does not exempt you from going to prisonAny health problem suffered by the former minister that can be treated will not exempt him from serving his sentence in joint prison, just as he does. Ricardo JaimeHe is sentenced for the same reason, and every month he requests house arrest, and every month he is told no, even though he suffers from health problems and even though he is over 70 years old. This is consistent with the seriousness of the events. The actions committed by the former minister, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison, led to… 52 people died. And these days he is seen on Zoom facing another trial for another massive cause of corruption, showing all Argentines that their presence there, as the accused, It doesn’t even take away your appetite.

Ricardo Jaime surrendered in Comodoro Bay to serve his sentence for the Once Tragedy

How do you view the notebook trial, a corruption trial in which Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is also accused? This is exactly where the former president is under house arrest.

He is under house arrest for another reason. The law on enforcement of judgments is clear that it is up to the judge whether to grant the benefit or not. The judge is not obligated to give it: he has to evaluate it. Each judge has the ability to grant or reject it. He also has it, they can also take it tomorrow, what do I know, that is at the discretion of each judge. What I do as a team is that in The reason the lady spent time in prison, there was no complaint, a victim on the other side. Here, in this case, we are: We are family members. Family members will be required to comply with the law. We will demand that the Victims Act be respected, that we be heard, and that this evil character spend four years in prison.

Do you feel this failure to be loyal to your son?

Yes. I believe I achieve it every day, when I wake up and work so that his daughter, my granddaughter, who is now 18, can live in a better country. and There is no doubt that every time one of these thieves, these corrupt people, ends up in prison, Argentina becomes a better country. I am confident that I did what was right, overcoming the difficulties and that we had to put our bodies and souls into this battle with the rest of the family. But I believe we also deserve to live in a better country. The best country is the one that pays for those who make them, wherever they come from and whatever their name is.

And in this better country you speak of, you spent your time in Congress. What balance has your time in PRO and Congress left you with? Are you left wanting for anything?

Yes, it left me wanting to keep fighting, keep contributing. For me it was enriching, and I had the first opportunity to present projects. Some people have achieved half the punishment, and that has something to do with what I went through. For example, I received half the penalty for a project I wrote. Well, after that it was never discussed in the Senate. But, for example, the cassation had set times for reviewing the rulings, because what we saw, and what happened to me, is that as soon as we hear the ruling after a two-year trial, we hear that they were sentenced to nine years, and the lawyer asks and says: Okay, they will go home. Now we have to wait until he becomes firm.

Maria Lujan Rey: “More than 400 derailments were reported in 2023 alone”

For the order to be firm, the veto must say so. I say: Ok, and when will the veto be over? “No, he doesn’t have time,” he says. And that “he does not have time” is what extends, and There are cases where the Casacion case lasted more than 20 yearsThen they say: “Okay, nothing, ready, that’s it.” The case was closed due to the passage of time. Time passed because they let it pass. The same must be done for supreme court. This confirmation of the court’s conviction of Julio de Vido comes seven years after his conviction by the court. because? Because they have no deadlines. Well, this is one of the projects. As well as amending the road law, the no-alcohol law, and others.

Do you have any bridge or any link with the current government to be able to work on this matter? Are they calling you, do you have a connection or not?

Today I am responsible for the Observatory for Victims of Crime of the House of Representatives, trying to fulfill the mission of this observatory: to disseminate the law, make it known, accompany those projects that are of interest to the victims, and propose projects that have the perspective of the victims. These days, we accompany the Committee to Investigate Fentanyl Victims and train the security forces from the perspective of the victim, believing that they are the first to arrive at the scene of the crime, and the first to be contacted by the victim, to avoid a recurrence of these victims that we have been suffering from.

Victims’ Law has come to change the paradigm, and this must be accompanied by awareness: that everyone understands that no victim chooses to be in that place, that no victim is responsible for what happened to them, that they must be treated with dignity, that they must be informed. Well, that’s all the work we do. I hope one day I can return to the place to continue contributing.