Argentine political prisoner Milagro Sala found unconscious
Argentine Indigenous activist Milagro Sala, who has been detained for over two years on orders from a political opponent, was found unconscious this morning.
She was transferred by ambulance to Pablo Soria General Hospital in the provincial capital of Jujuy, a 40 minute drive north of her detention site in the small town of El Carmen.
Sala, 54, was ordered arrested on January 16, 2016, by Governor Gerardo Morales on charges of “inciting violence” - a charge that was later dropped. Fraud charges were then issued - but after two years, remain unsubstantiated.
Morales is a close ally of the right-wing administration of President Mauricio Macri, whom Amnesty International criticized in its latest annual review for attacks on indigenous peoples, including at least two deaths, and the use of arbitrary detention.
Political prisoner
Amnesty International considers Sala a political prisoner, citing lack of evidence and irregularities such as the use of bribed witnesses - including an illiterate man who was later awarded a public contract and an ex-convict who was released, after testifying against Sala, despite serving a murder sentence.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled on October 21, 2016, that Sala's detention is in fact arbitrary, and urged Macri to release her immediately. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) did likewise on December 4.
Reports of mistreatment in prison led the IACHR to issue a July 28, 2017, ruling ordering Morales to grant Sala house arrest. IACHR rulings are legally binding in Argentina.
Morales initially resisted the ruling, and then “complied” on August 31 by having her moved to an abandoned house lacking doors, windows, basic amenities, or connections to public utilities.
Sala's co-op, Tupac Amaru, made the house livable with private donations.
Morales retaliated on June 5 by expelling Tumac Amaru from its Jujuy headquarters, and transferring it to a political crony, José Luis Estrada.
IACHR President Francisco Eguiguren compared Sala's case to that of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López, who was arrested on incitement charges in 2014 and who following international appeals was transferred to house arrest in July 2017.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=en&tl=es&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.diarioregistrado.com%2Fsociedad-%2Fhallan-inconsciente-a-milagro-sala_a5b60a4df03e8eb343ca0beb9&edit-text=
Milagro Sala and Pope Francis in happier days. International human rights groups consider her detention arbitrary.
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No one with a shred of decency would dream of behaving as they have toward a human being. Small, vicious, sadistic bullies. They do it simply because they can, to prove they are completely powerful at the moment.
They appear to be wanting to make an example of her to instill fear, to paralyze dissent from people who might be more tempted to speak up if they weren't afraid of being treated with so much hostility themselves.
Hope they can manage to both be struck by the same falling grand piano walking together on the street.
If only Milagro could get better, but this doesn't sound like anything small, does it?
My god. All this time, all this suffering simply because she doesn't have anyone powerful enough to protect her from these spiteful demons.
Milagro is stronger in spirit than all of them together, and everyone knows it.