Argentina’s president criticized the Buenos Aires city government Saturday because of the treatment of supporters of Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at demonstrations.
Demonstrators protested days after prosecutors asked for a 12-year prison sentence for de Kirchner on corruption charges.
Alberto Fernandez criticized the city’s government which he said wanted to curtail “free movement in the vicinity of the home of the Vice President.”
“I express my strongest rejection of the institutional violence unleashed by the City Government in the face of a massive demonstration of citizens expressing themselves freely and in democracy,” Fernandez wrote on Twitter.
Five police officers were injured and four arrests were made in protests in support of de Kirchner.
Thousands took to her defense Saturday, mobilizing across Argentina.
The largest protests took place outside Kirchner’s residence in the neighborhood of Recoleta, where police had earlier installed fences to prevent mass protests.
By afternoon, supporters toppled the fences as hydrant trucks and tear gas were used against the crowd, according to local news agency, Telam.
Fernandez argued that the police “operation, far from contributing to the peace invoked, generated a climate of insecurity and intimidation.”
He insisted that authorities and security forces “must work to take care of citizen security, avoiding creating contexts of hostility in the face of massive mobilizations” and maintaining peace and guaranteeing the freedom of expression to all citizens is an “institutional responsibility.”
Fernandez describe what he called the “harassment” of de Kirchner and called for it to stop.
De Kirchner remains a divisive figure in Argentina’s political landscape, adored by supporters and loathed by detractors.
She was accused Monday of awarding fraudulent and overpriced public work contracts in the southern province of Santa Cruz during her two terms as president from 2007-2015.
Many of the contracts allegedly benefitted close allies of the Kirchner family, with some convicted of corruption.
Prosecutors also called for “special life disqualification” from public office for Kirchner, who has political immunity as current vice president and president of the Senate.
She has vehemently denied the accusations and has criticized the country’s judiciary.
Kirchner described waking up to see her home “besieged” on Saturday.
“They want to prohibit the absolutely peaceful and joyful manifestations of love and support, which take place before the unavoidable prosecution of the judicial party,” she wrote on her website.
The sentence against Kirchner is expected to be revealed within months, although some believe she could appeal to higher courts, which would likely extend the time to reach a final verdict.
Source: Anadolu Agency