Six feminist activists were detained for 12 hours on March 7. A prosecutor accused them of spray-painting a church and two banks in the Almagro neighborhood of Buenos Aires. They had requested the dismissal of the case, but yesterday the defense's request was rejected. By Lula González Photos: Luciana Leiras Judge Ladislao Endre decided to proceed with the case against the six lesbian and feminist activists accused of spray-painting a church and banks in the Almagro neighborhood of Buenos Aires. He did so by rejecting the request to dismiss the proceedings presented by the young women's defense, in a hearing held yesterday morning in Court No. 25 of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Mariana Leder Kremer, Lía Ghara, Camila Gómez Gradolli, Florencia Minici, FS, and MM are charged with the crime of simple and aggravated damage. Prosecutor Juan Rozas accused them of spray-painting “Lesbians,” “March 8,” “Strike,” and “The Patriarchy Will Fall” on the walls of the Jesus Sacramento Sanctuary Church and on two pews in the Almagro neighborhood. In the early hours of March 7, the young women were detained for more than 12 hours at the Ninth Police Station. It was the night before the International Women's Strike #8M, where more than twenty other women were also arrested. Four Catholic activists reported them to 911. “We are lesbians, and our appearances are not heteronormative, and that bothers them. That's what bothered the men who harassed and attacked us. They accuse us of writing on a church wall, and even though they have no evidence against us, we've reached this point. That's because there's a sexist and patriarchal justice system that doesn't listen to us,” Lía Ghara, one of the six activists, Presentes

"An arbitrary arrest"

The defense, led by attorney Gabriela Carpineti, requested the annulment of the proceedings, arguing that the young women's arrest was "arbitrary" and that the four Catholic activists who reported them to 911 that morning committed "perjury." They even impersonated police officers, shouting "Stop!" as they chased the women down the street until a patrol car arrived. This is revealed in a video submitted as evidence in the case. "Relax, we're police," they can be heard saying, even though no uniformed officers are visible. According to the argument, one of them pushes one of the young women and tells her, "Go over there." The conversations between the complainants and the 911 operator were also presented as evidence.

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“This instance was important because we were able to express our position. We consider it a flawed procedure, since at no point did the girls violate Article 78 of the Buenos Aires City Code of Misdemeanors, as they are accused of doing. Furthermore, there were contradictions among the complainants. We had more arguments than the prosecutor, who acts from a patriarchal ideological perspective, without impartiality. The judge took an ambiguous position,” she told Presents The lawyer added, “We will continue fighting, we will continue producing and arguing at every stage we reach.” In front of the courts located at 138 Tacuarí Street in the City of Buenos Aires, numerous LGBTQ+ activists and human rights leaders, including Nora Cortiñas, a founding member of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, gathered to support the activists.

The complainants

Gabriel Omar Fittante, Juan Manuel Báez Rivora, Carlos Esteban Mater and Nicolás Djudjic were the complainants. "They called 911 as if it were a delivery service for institutional violence." They impersonated police officers to carry out an arbitrary arrest. They functioned as a violent paramilitary group.”he said Presents Camila Gómez Gandoli. The young woman emphasized that there was a clear mention of sexual orientation: "They were horrified by our being lesbians." said.

[READ MORE: #8M Lesbians were repressed and arrested: “it was a police hunt”]

The judge, in explaining his rejection of the motion to dismiss, clarified that while he was sympathetic to feminist movements, he found no evidence either for or against the existence of a crime in progress. Now, the prosecutor has the authority to summon the girls to a public trial.

How is the case progressing?

From now on, the investigation and legal proceedings against the six accused women continue. There is a possibility of mediation afterward. But in the meantime, the case remains open. This means that the justice system will continue to invest resources in the case, which could end in a trial. “That early morning could have been one of the worst experiences of our lives if all the women hadn't been there. The support was immediate; they took care of us. As soon as we were arrested, there were 40 people outside calling for us.” While we were detained, we felt supported. That gave us strength. Our comrades were outside; it wasn't just us, we were all together. "And present. We were all there, including those who are missing," Lía Ghara recalled emotionally.  Read the document that the activists read after their request for annulment was denied.   ]]>