A week ago, Jujuy peasant Franco Oscari was imprisoned by order of Senator Patricia Bullrich and Judge Ariel Lijo. The reason: a private Facebook message he sent to the legislator in April. A trumped-up case for «coercive threats» that reeks of pure political persecution.
Oscari, 24, is a member of the National Indigenous Peasant Movement (MNCI Vía Campesina) and lives in the hamlet of Las Goteras, in Palma Sola, 160 kilometers from San Salvador de Jujuy. There, in the early hours of last Wednesday, a Federal Police operation broke down the door of his house, forced all occupants to lie face down on the ground, and arrested him without explanation. They only said it was an order from Comodoro Py, signed by Lijo.
The family reports that the officers did not inform them of the reasons or the destination. Hours later they learned he was taken to the Federal Police station in San Salvador. Only then did they find out about Bullrich’s complaint: a private Facebook message that, according to her, contained threats. A reactionary delusion turned into a criminal case, with a potential sentence of six months to ten years.
Lawyers María José Castillo and Samanta Delgado requested his immediate release, but prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita refused with flimsy arguments. Pretrial detention is only justified if there is a risk of flight or obstruction, but Oscari lives in a rural area, with limited resources and scarce connectivity. To reach the town he must cross 17 streams.
Faced with the refusal, they filed habeas corpus in Jujuy and in the Federal Chamber, with no response. They also reported that the police prevented visits. But this Monday, federal prosecutor Eduardo Villalba issued an opinion questioning everything done by Lijo, Pollicita, and the Federal Police. Villalba argues that the unjustified transfers of Oscari to different locations «could constitute an illegitimate worsening of the conditions of his detention» and compares it to «a restriction of freedom of movement similar to transfers ordered by the Executive Branch under a State of Siege.»
The criminalization of organized peasantry is so obscene that on Thursday the 25th, without notifying the family or the lawyers, they ordered Oscari’s transfer to Buenos Aires, 1,600 kilometers from his home. For hours his whereabouts were unknown. Only when deputy Natalia Morales (PTS-FITU) demanded details from Commissioner Lucas Gestalld did they learn he was already passing through Tucumán. Faced with protests, Lijo backtracked and ordered his return to San Salvador, but he ended up at the Salta station.
From there, Oscari recorded a video to reassure his family. «I dedicate myself to growing vegetables: we plant potatoes, onions, garlic, and recently we had a good corn harvest. With another partner we are trying to start a small farm. We also raise pigs, sheep, cows. It’s a country life,» he said. His cell phone has been seized.
The same repression that led to the deaths of Santiago Maldonado and Rafael Nahuel, only by other means. In the streets and in the Legislature, they denounce political persecution and demand his immediate release. Criminalization of social protest, poverty, and the peasantry. Meanwhile, Bullrich and Lijo continue operating from their desks.
jaja otro zurdito llorando pq lo agarraron con las manos en la masa para mi si no queres ir preso no amenases a una senadora tarado bullrich y lijo hacen lo q hay q hacer viva la libertad carajo los zurdos a la carcel
para mi bullrich y lijo son una mierda persiguiendo laburantes franco preso x un posteo esto es dictadura viva la lucha campesina abajo el gobierno fassista firmado el che de las goteras