Argentina’s head of state, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, announced in a nationwide address the creation of a new Federal Agency of Intelligence. Fernández called for a special session of Congress from February 1 to debate the project, which will consider the creation of a data protection bank; greater penalties for anyone who wiretaps a telephone conversation; penalties for local, provincial or federal officials who make direct contact with the intelligence services, without consulting the head of the agency and his deputy; and the transfer of judicial observations to the Procurement System. If the norm is passed by congress, it must be placed into effect within 90 days. The President also referred to the death of the prosecutor Alberto Nisman and stressed that Diego Lagomarsino, now accused of supplying the gun that killed the officer, "is a fierce opponent of the government and the brother of an executive of a legal firm owned by the Clarín group.” It is vital to recall that the Clarín group is Argentina’s largest media conglomerate that has an anti-government bias. Fernández firmly questioned that no investigative journalist has revealed this. In reference to the inconsistencies of the judiciary, in clarification of both terrorist attacks that occurred in Argentina in the 1990’s, the 1992 attack of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 attack of AMIA, Fernández said that "the death of fiscal Nisman is related to the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran and the bombing of Amia, but it seems that nobody wants to investigate." The President requested a prompt investigation into all aspects surrounding the international terrorist attacks. She said that “justice can be made” if the judiciary, who is solely responsible of the investigation, moves promptly and independently. "It is possible, when the judiciary seriously investigates, to find those responsible and guilty" she said. Fernández cited the legal actions that clarified another fact that shocked the public, the assassination of activist Mariano Ferreyra in 2010. Fernández reiterated that the memorandum of understanding is the best option possible to reactivate the investigation into the AMIA terrorist attack. She said, "we want to know, and to know, an investigation must be made, and for that, judicial cooperation from Iran is needed, but the Argentine Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional the memorandum of understanding," she said. The president also said that she will not be intimidated, that she has no fear and said “they can make all the complaints they want” and that Argentina cannot be pushed around in this fashion. “I can not allow in any way, that our democracy remain under siege, with fear and extortion, and permit a stain over our democracy.” She reiterated the need to reform the judiciary, as it is necessary that the three branches of the state exhibit absolute transparency. Source URL |
