The chains are shackling, cameras capture the ruling, and now the people march down the street, chanting “Everyone is with Cristina”. On December 6, VP Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was illegitimately sentenced to 6-years of imprisonment, after being falsely accused of corruption and fraud charges. An orchestra of the right is playing the fiddle over the VP.
The situation leading to the VP’s arrest is an demonstration of what can be called “lawfare”, “a common form of “political warfare” in the region that involves politicians, the judiciary and the media working together with a view to smearing leftist leaders as corrupt.” (People's Dispacth)
Although the charges are not conclusive, the reactionary elements in the state are treating the case as the final step to expel her from office, permanently restricting her from participating in a state official role for life. Peronism and the political party of Fernandez are being put in front of the “firing squad” of the compromised law.
The legal team of Fernández are currently appealing the case and plan to take it up to the Supreme Court, launching a counter movement with the support of the popular organizations and communities; “hundreds of people took to the streets of Buenos Aires and demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Federal Courts and the Congress to express their support for VP Krichner and reject the sentence against her.”
International support is underway too, public declarations from progressive presidents and leaders throughout Latin America, from Evo Morales in Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, etc. The world is calling for “Enough of lawfare,” “Enough of Macrista judges and prosecutors,” and “Judicial reform now.”
This compelling situation has instigated a necessary social crisis for the popular classes of Argentina and beyond to recognize the need to militantly react to the incursions of the right, who will work mercilessly to subvert the progressive policies and movement progress in their country; VP Fernadez is not the leader of the movement, but her victory into state power cements the presence and popular will of the masses, so if she under threat, the whole progressive movement of Argentina is under threat.
In positive news, the current president announced a public investigation against the political actors working to imprison the VP. There is enough evidence to initiate a investigation to charge these reactionaries with conspiracy, “On Sunday, December 5, chats between judges, businessmen, government officials and ex-intelligence agents to cover a trip in a private charter to Lago Escondido were leaked. The event took place in October of this year where judges, such as Julián Ercolini who was a part of the Road Management Case; businessmen, including legal advisor of the media group Clarín, Jorge Rendo; and government officials, such as the Security Minister of the capital Buenos Aires, Marcelo D’Alessandro, participated and met with former right-wing President Mauricio Macri in the mansion of the English billionaire, Joe Lewis.”
Crisis may be in the air again in Argetina, but as we seen in history, when a threat to demoracy is present, the masses mobilize together to seirze the moment and solidfy their democracy, a better, safer demoracy for the people.