Argentina: Hidden Camera Investigation Uncovers TIP in

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000563 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/TIP DEPT FOR WHA/BSC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KTIP KCRM KWMN PGOV SNAR AR SUBJECT: Argentina: Hidden Camera Investigation Uncovers TIP in Kirchner's Province ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Argentine press recently reported a hidden camera investigation conducted by anti-trafficking NGO La Alameda that appears to show drug and human trafficking activity in brothels located in the capital city of Santa Cruz, the home province of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her husband, ex-president Nestor Kirchner. The footage reportedly caught the provincial police chief frequenting one of the establishments, a charge that he denies. The Santa Cruz Governor vigorously defended the integrity of his police chief, but acknowledged that trafficking in persons (TIP) is a problem in the province. He vowed to fight the mafias involved, but instructed his police chief to sue La Alameda and file criminal charges against its leaders on slander charges. The Catholic Church, meanwhile, backs La Alameda's claims. The national Ministry of Justice has pledged to investigate, but noted that primary investigative responsibility lies with the federal judge residing in the province. The case highlights the need for greater TIP training of provincial law enforcement officers. Post will continue to encourage the GOA to offer anti-TIP training to provincial authorities as a means to improve federal, provincial, and local law enforcement efforts to fight this scourge. END SUMMARY. Hidden Camera Investigation Reportedly Finds TIP -------------- --- ¶2. (SBU) On April 28, the local press, including Argentina's largest circulation daily "Clarin," reported on suspected drug and human trafficking activity in brothels located in Rio Gallegos, the capital city of Santa Cruz, the home province of former president Nestor Kirchner and the adopted home of his wife, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. The articles recounted the details of an undercover investigation conducted by La Alameda, an anti-trafficking NGO, in February of this year. According to the press, three members of La Alameda visited the red-light district in Rio Gallegos commonly known as "Las Casitas" ("The Little Houses"). These establishments, which purport to be pubs and discos, had been previously denounced by the Catholic Church as brothels and drug havens. Until La Alameda's investigation, however, there had not been any evidence of illicit activities taking place there. ¶3. (SBU) Using hidden cameras, La Alameda filmed various "Casitas" that appear to offer drugs and commercial sex in addition to wine and spirits. The NGO identified at least 21 brothels in the area and claimed that over 200 girls from different provinces of Argentina, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica are deprived of their freedom and forced to prostitute themselves nightly. According to one worker interviewed by La Alameda, provincial police officers usually arrive at 8 am to close the establishments and thereby help maintain the ruse that they are legitimate pubs and discos. MOJ Vows to Investigate -------------- ¶4. (SBU) On April 29, representatives of anti-TIP NGOs, headed by La Alameda, National Deputy Fernanda Gil Lozano, the Catholic Church, and two rabbis, peacefully marched in Buenos Aires city and handed a formal complaint to Justice Minister Anibal Fernandez asking the MOJ to investigate the matter and rescue and assist TIP victims. A copy of the complaint was also filed with Prosecutor General Esteban Righi's Office. The complaint not only alleged that the Santa Cruz "Casitas" were involved in drug and human trafficking, but also claimed that provincial law enforcement officials protect brothels either by omission or commission. According to the press, MOJ officials pledged to investigate the case but explained that primary responsibility for the judicial investigation rests with federal judge Gerardo Camano. Police Chief Caught on Tape? -------------- ¶5. (SBU) La Alameda's footage also caught on tape the image of a man whom the press has identified as Santa Cruz's Police Chief Alejandro Martin. According to La Alameda, the man on the tape can be either him or Marcelo Romero, Private Secretary to Santa Cruz Cabinet Chief Pablo Gonzalez, an official who keeps close ties to Nestor Kirchner, who was a long-time governor of the province before becoming president. Santa Cruz provincial authorities moved quickly to dismiss La Alameda's accusations of police complicity or negligence. Martin denied being the person on the tape, claiming he was not in Rio Gallegos at the time of the investigation. Martin and Santa Cruz Minister of Government Carlos Barreto subsequently called a press conference accusing "Clarin" of distorting facts and confusing the issue of prostitution with trafficking in persons (TIP). Barreto admitted that TIP is a real problem controlled by mafias, and vigorously denied police involvement. Santa Cruz Governor Daniel Peralta also came to the defense of his police chief, accusing La Alameda of tarnishing the reputation of Martin and the provincial police force at a time when "there have been positive results to fight this crime." He denounced La Alameda's investigation as "politically motivated," designed to damage Santa Cruz's relationship with the federal government. He also instructed the Provincial Police Chief and the Provincial Prosecutor to file a criminal complaint against La Alameda. Catholic Church Backs La Alameda's Claims -------------- ¶6. (SBU) According to the press, Santa Cruz bishop Juan Carlos Romanin backs La Alameda's claims and noted that there are many similar red-light districts that are sexually exploiting women and girls in Patagonia, mainly in tourist and coastal cities in Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego provinces, including El Calafate, Pico Truncado, Perito Moreno, and Ushuaia. At the same time, Romanin acknowledged that Santa Cruz Governor Peralta and Tierra del Fuego Governor Fabiana Rios recognize the problem and are working to fight TIP. Santa Cruz Government Minister: Brothels Help Keep Rape Numbers Down -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) In the days following the initial report of La Alameda's investigation, Barreto said that "Las Casitas" had been operating in Rio Gallegos for over 30 years and that they had offered solace to "rural workers who migrated to the city all alone." He asserted that older Rio Gallegos residents would agree that the establishments serve their purposes, and help keep the numbers of rape down. He again denied that the man caught on La Alameda's footage was Police Chief Martin, but said that the real person on the tape "may just have been there to have a drink, like any of us." Meanwhile, Governor Peralta justified prostitution as a culturally accepted practice. These comments prompted La Alameda on May 4 to ask the courts to investigate Governor Peralta and Minister Barreto for possible connections to the "Casitas" and their illicit activities. An Old TIP Case Sidelines One Politician -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Meanwhile, on May 8, "La Nacion" reported that Civic Coalition (CC) leader Elisa Carrio had succeeded in blocking Vice President Cobos's proposal to add Hector Gutierrez, the mayor of Pergamino to the list of congressional candidates backed by the CC and Cobos and the Radical Party (UCR) in Buenos Aires province. Gutierrez had been identified as a patron of the "Spartacus" brothel, where 15 Paraguayan adolescent TIP victims were discovered in 2007. The newspaper reported that prosecutor Mario Gomez had dropped TIP charges pending against Gutierrez but was still investigating some of his city officials for providing the teenagers with health certificates. Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) On May 8, La Alameda President Gustavo Vera told poloff that the federal judge assigned to the case is unlikely to order a full investigation into the case unless local and international media keeps up the pressure on the GOA. As most criminal cases languish in Argentina's notoriously slow judicial system, many anti-TIP activists believe the only recourse they have is to take their case to the media and shame government officials in the court of public opinion. This modus operandi, however, can impede GOA investigations, as it is unclear whether such evidence can be used in a court of law. La Alameda has offered the Political Section and our Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) colleagues useful insights into forced labor in Buenos Aires province as well as alleged forced and child labor in the cultivation of garlic and onions in Mendoza province. According to our ICE colleagues, however, La Alameda's capacity to investigate and provide solid evidence that can be used in a U.S. court of law has so far been limited. ¶10. (SBU) This case illustrates some of the challenges in Argentine federal efforts to implement the one-year old anti-TIP legislation on the provincial level. Although the promotion, facilitation, or exploitation of persons into prostitution is illegal in Argentina and the law prohibits all locales that incite prostitution, judicial confusion over the legality of brothels remains. So long as this legal ambiguity exists, some provincial authorities will continue to claim that establishments such as the "Casitas" simply enable individual prostitutes to offer commercial sex voluntarily. Greater GOA efforts to clarify the legal status of brothels are clearly needed. In addition, anti-TIP training should also be extended to provincial law enforcement agencies to strengthen their capacity to identify and investigate potential TIP activity in coordination with federal authorities. WAYNE