Head of CELS Horacio Verbitsky addresses the Senate meeting to discuss injunctions» bill
Head of the Legal and Social Studies (CELS in Spanish) Horacio Verbitsky and deputy Justice Minister Julián Álvarez clashed at the Senate meeting held today to debate the justice reform.
Verbitsky renewed his opposition to one of the six bills that seek to control injunctions saying that it has been “drawn up in a wrong and rushed way” and that “it does not reflect what the President (Cristina Fernández de Kirchner) said” when she submitted to Congress the reform of Argentina’s judiciary system.
“The initiative to send this project (to Congress) to reform Justice is a debt of democracy. Politics have to take responsibility on this matter and that is the common view. However, this does not mean that the projects are perfect for us. We consider some of them are good, others bad with constitutional objections that we want to focus on,” the also government-aligned journalist said and went on to explain that injunctions are key element for the “defense of human rights.”
“A very important instrument that should not be affected by a reform that tends to the democratization of justice as this projects is being presented,” he said.
Julián Álvarez, second-in-command of Justice Minister Julio Alak, hit back and argued that the grounds outlined by the CELS organization are “imprecise, wrong and serve only for the confusion created by those who debate on TV shows and not at the Congress,” targeting opposition blocs who did not attend last week’s debate at the Senate.
The official then proposed three changes to the injunctions bill.
First, setting up an exception on injunctions in “decent life” cases as considered by the Human Rights Inter-American Court to protect “most vulnerable sectors” as requested by Verbitsky.
Second, the introduction of another paragraph to the project “so that there is no doubt left that this government will not lessen unions’ freedom of association.”
Third, judges’ celerity commitment to decide in cases when injunctions have been ruled against the state.
Although the bill to control injunctions has already been cleared for the floor by a joint committee last week, modifications could be introduced when the Senate addresses the project on Thursday this week.
buenosairesherald.com