Supporters, Peronist lawmakers renew calls for Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's release

Supporters gathered outside the Buenos Aires home of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on Wednesday to mark one year since the former president began serving a six-year sentence under house arrest following her conviction in the 'Vialidad' corruption case.

La Cámpora called a demonstration outside the former president's apartment at Calle San José 1111 in the Constitución neighbourhood of Buenos Aires City. The group, Kirchnerism's main political youth organisation, also staged rallies in provinces across the country to protest Fernández de Kirchner's imprisonment and demand her release.

Late afternoon, Fernández de Kirchner appeared on the balcony of her home to greet the supporters who had gathered there to show their backing on the anniversary.

Wearing a green jumper and jeans, the ex-president – who remains head of the Partido Justicialista (PJ), Peronism's main political party – smiled as she thanked followers for their display of support.

She also joined in singing the chorus of 'Jijiji', a song by Argentine rock band Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, in tribute to the group's recently deceased lead singer, Carlos 'Indio' Solari.

Outside the residence, supporters gathered to "accompany" the ex-president, describing her as the victim of political persecution. Representatives of trade unions and social organisations also attended the rally, displaying banners and placards calling for Fernández de Kirchner's release.

Similar events were held across Argentina to demand her freedom, including political gatherings and activist meetings focused on what organisers described as the link between the former president's “political proscription” and the economic and social challenges facing sectors of the population today.

Fernández de Kirchner was convicted in December 2022 of fraudulent administration in the awarding of public works contracts in Santa Cruz Province during her two terms in office (2007-2015). 

Prosecutors allege that businessman Lázaro Báez, a close associate of the Kirchner family, benefited from a scheme involving 51 public works contracts that caused significant losses to the state. 

The conviction carried a six-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban from holding public office, a verdict upheld by Argentina’s Supreme Court after a series of appeals in June of last year.

Fernández de Kirchner, who denies any wrongdoing and says she is the victim of political and judicial persecution, is serving the sentence under house arrest due to her age – a benefit often granted in Argentina to those aged over 70.

Last year, a court also ordered Fernández de Kirchner and eight co-defendants to repay the equivalent of roughly US$535 million after experts recalculated the alleged financial damage caused to the state.

Peronist lawmakers speak out

Earlier Wednesday, a group of Peronist lawmakers held a press conference in Congress to call for Fernández de Kirchner's release.

"Not even genocidal criminals or drug-traffickers face house arrest conditions like those imposed on Cristina Fernández de Kirchner," complained Germán Martínez, the leader of the Unión por la Patria caucus in the lower house.

According to data cited by the group of Peronist deputies and senators, of the 2,513 detainees in Argentina serving house arrest, only 23.96 percent of cases with available information involve the use of electronic ankle monitors.

The lawmakers called for Fernández de Kirchner's release and announced that they had sent a letter to the Supreme Court and the Council of Magistrates, arguing that the former president has been subjected to arbitrary treatment and political proscription. 

"There is no full democracy when citizens are prevented from freely choosing their representatives. There is no full democracy when a leader of the stature of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is barred from participating in institutional and political life. There is no full democracy when Cristina's unjust and arbitrary detention is compounded by absolutely exceptional and restrictive conditions,” Martinez said.

He also addressed political leaders across the spectrum, saying: "We say this with respect, but also with conviction: Argentina's democratic political forces cannot remain silent or look the other way in the face of all the arbitrariness committed against Cristina."

Pichetto calls for debate

Encuentro Federal deputy Miguel Ángel Pichetto was among the non-Kirchnerite voices to call for a debate in Congress on the possibility of overturning or modifying the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the six-year sentence handed to Fernández de Kirchner.

Pichetto, a veteran Peronist who jumped ship in 2019 to join then-president Mauricio Macri's unsuccessful re-election bid as his vice-presidential running-mate, made the remarks during a meeting of the Human Rights Committee chaired by La Cámpora member Horacio Pietragalla.

The former Peronist Senate caucus leader argued that, given the institutional significance of the case, Congress has powers that could allow it to declare a Supreme Court ruling null and void.

"I want to raise this issue as the starting point for a broader analysis and debate on Congress's powers in matters such as these," Pichetto said, citing as an example legislation approved in Brazil that reduced a sentence imposed on former president Jair Bolsonaro.

"Everyone knows my public position regarding the institutional gravity of having imprisoned a figure who served as Argentina's president on two occasions and, on a third, as vice-president," he added, referring to Fernández de Kirchner.

Although elected to Congress as part of the Juntos por el Cambio coalition, Pichetto has moved closer to Peronism this year. He visited Fernández de Kirchner at her home last month and has held meetings with PJ officials as part of efforts to build a broad national front against La Libertad Avanza ahead of the 2027 elections.

– TIMES/PERFIL/NA