Police officers under investigation for torturing a gay couple have been released.

They were charged with the crimes of aggravated illegal deprivation of liberty, aggravated harassment, illegal entry and ideological falsehood.

March 29, 2019

By Soledad Mizerniuk and Victoria Rodríguez, from Santa Fe

Photos: MPA Press and Public Relations

Today, six police officers from the Radioelectric Command of the city of Santo Tomé (Santa Fe province) were charged as perpetrators of the crimes of aggravated illegal deprivation of liberty, aggravated harassment, illegal search and ideological falsehood, for the attack on a gay couple in the early hours of Monday the 25th.

It was in a hearing held in the courts of the capital of Santa Fe, at the request of the prosecutors of Complex Crimes of the Regional Prosecutor's Office 1, María Laura Urquiza and Ezequiel Hernández, before the judge of the Preliminary Criminal Investigation (IPP), Pablo Busaniche.

Through an agreement between the prosecution and defense attorneys, the judge established alternative measures to pretrial detention for the six men under investigation. These measures included a prohibition on carrying firearms; a restraining order prohibiting them from approaching within 500 meters of the victims; and a ban on contacting the victims or witnesses by any means. In addition, each of the six police officers was required to post a bond of 30,000 pesos and was prohibited from leaving the country.

Following a request from prosecutors of the Public Prosecutor's Office (MPA) of Santa Fe, the judge allowed the necessary steps to be taken to ensure the safety of the victims.

At the end of the hearing, Prosecutor Urquiza confirmed that, in relation to the reported events, they had gathered “a vast amount of evidence, all of which is being properly secured at the Prosecutor's Office.” She also emphasized that “routine procedures have already been initiated to guarantee the safety of the victims.”

Before the judge, Urquiza recounted the events being investigated by the Prosecutor's Office for Complex Crimes and emphasized that the accused police officers "unlawfully deprived the victims of their freedom, intimidated them by displaying their regulation firearms, and illegally entered their home .

“According to the complaint filed by the three individuals, they were punched and kicked before being handcuffed. They were then taken to Police Station 12 where they continued to be punched in the face and body. Furthermore, police officers mocked two of the three victims because of their sexual orientation,” the prosecutor added.

Finally, he indicated that "knowingly, they recorded false statements in the procedural record in which they were supposed to record what happened."

In a press conference, Urquiza indicated that the decision regarding the continued employment of the men under investigation in the Santa Fe Police will be made by the Ministry of Security (beyond the prohibition on carrying firearms).

The facts

Two young men testified on March 26 at the Provincial Directorate of Internal Affairs of Santa Fe—a citizen oversight body for the police—that officers subjected them to abuse, beatings, and insults in a “small room” at the 12th police station in Santo Tomé, in the early hours of Monday the 25th.

In a dialogue with Presentes, Alexis Do Santos, one of the victims, explained that the first attacks occurred in the El Tanque neighborhood, around 1 a.m., when police officers from the Radioelectric Command forcibly entered his home.

Minutes earlier, officers had approached him as he arrived home and, in a violent manner, confronted him, allegedly demanding he come out to the sidewalk for a search. They claimed he was driving his car, which had tinted windows, at high speed.

According to his account, when he refused to be touched—due to the fear Alexis felt from the officers' agitated state— they shot him twice with a shotgun to intimidate him . Other patrol cars arrived, and several officers entered his home. There, they began beating him, Nahuel Taborda (whom they didn't yet know was his partner), and Alexis's sister. They were then taken to the 12th Provincial Police Station, where the beatings continued, including punches, kicks, and verbal abuse.

The violence escalated when the police realized Alexis and Nahuel were a couple. “That’s when they went crazy,” Alexis explained, continuing, “They started yelling, ‘Oh, so you’re faggots, you’re boyfriends. Look how the queers are crying.’ They grabbed us and twisted our testicles. They started touching our asses, sticking a finger inside us, and telling us not to look at their faces.” The torture and abuse continued until five in the morning.

In the following hours, at the urging of their families who went to the police station, they were taken to the municipal health center and then to a hospital for medical attention. At 5 p.m., they were released. From then on, both young men began the process of reporting what had happened and demanding justice.

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