An institutional conflict broke out on Monday in The Senate of the Nationwhich resulted in a criminal complaint for Injuries, threats and sexual assaults Against the security men of the Supreme Council. The judicial offer was made by the Senator of Tierra del Fuego, Christina Lopezwho reported that he was a victim of A Violent physical assault By secretaries who report to the Vice President Victoria Villarroel, When he was trying to retrieve his belongings from a locked office.
The accident occurred when the MP, accompanied by a locksmith, tried to reach her office Remove personal itemsincluding his computer, as the door was locked over the weekend. According to the complaint, the security forces formed “earthwork“With the chairs in front of the entrance, and when trying to cross it, a struggle occurred Lopez was injured.
The seriousness of the attacks was demonstrated in A Official report From the Senate medical staff. The doctor Gustavo Aprila He confirmed the physical injuries suffered by the legislator, and described in his report A “Hematoma in the upper part of the right ankle measuring 5 x 3 cm.” In addition to recording internal pain in the right arm. Through this medical certificate, Lopez formalized the accusation in court against the agents involved.
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The conflict has an immediate political background: last Friday, Lopez was sworn in, invoking the decision 30,000 disappeared during the dictatorship, It is a gesture that would presumably have provoked a reaction from the Senate President. According to the senator’s reconstruction of events, Villarroel took advantage of the fact that the office was empty to personally enter, change the lock, place a sealing tape on the door and Remove legislator identification plateIt is a maneuver that Lopez described as “an attack of extreme institutional risk.”
“If a Senate authority is allowed to punish a senator because of his position, the same can be done to any representative tomorrow,” Lopez warned after the incident, warning of the danger of the message for democracy. Senator Al-Fuji stressed that “the owners of the Senate are the members of the Senate. Not the vice president He stressed that no administrative authority may prevent an elected legislator from reaching his workplace.
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The dispute over the historical office and the “intrusion” of the Vice President
The controversy revolves around the assignment of the position that belonged to the outgoing senator from the state of Salta. Sergio Levy. Both lawmakers, who share political space, have agreed to move that office (which has historically been used by Fuji representatives) so that Lopez and his team can continue working there. This decision was officially communicated to the Senate Presidency by the bloc Union for the homeland, Follow the usual uses and customs of the chamber, without registering similar problems with other Senators in similar situations.
But the treatment was different in this case. The testimonies of security leaders, who spoke with Senator Juliana de Tullio, confirmed that Victoria Villarroel herself was the one who… He entered the office on Friday To carry out the evacuation operation. Lopez denounced the arbitrariness of the procedure, noting that it was The only office that woke up blind With the change of the lock, despite the existence of multiple transfer agreements between representatives from the ruling party and the opposition.
Given the silence of Villarroel, who did not respond to calls or messages over the weekend, Lopez decided to act on Monday by the public force to recover his work tools, which led to the attack. “The Vice President illegally entered the office of another Senator “It is a violation of the independence of the legislature.” declared the senator, who now hopes that justice will move forward on the criminal responsibilities of the security personnel and the political systems behind the operation.
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