Subject: Police Edicts Repealed in Buenos Aires From: ales@host1.wamani.apc.org (Alejandra Sarda) Date: Wed, 25 Sep 96 08:17:12 ARG Escrita en el Cuerpo - Lesbian Archives and Library Electronic News Service POLICE EDICTS REPEALED IN BUENOS AIRES Yesterday, the city's Statutory Convenction passed a clause that, in practice, repeals the infamous Police Edicts that were the force's key weapon to arbitrary detain young people, transvestites, gays, lesbians and prostitutes (among others) for years. 400 people are arrested every day in Buenos Aires without having comitted any crime, simply because Police suspects they are 'dangerous'. Those people usually spend around 12 hours in a police station, where most of them are blackmailed and verbally, emotionally and even physically abused. No judge ever intervenes in the process, and they are not even notified of the arrest. In 1995, 150.000 people were arrested to 'check their police records' and only a 2% of them were previous offenders (which by no means implies they had actually comitted a crime at the time of their arrest and/or Police had any right to arrest them) In this last years, due to several denounces of police brutality through torture followed by death and street murders having young males and transvestites as their main victims, mainstream society became increasingly aware of what Police Edicts meant and started to oppose them. Human Right organizations like Madres de Plaza de Mayo Linea Fundadora, FUBA (university students) and transvestite, gay and lesbians groups followed closely the events at the Statutory Convention. Police -backed by the country's president, Carlos Menem- tried to exert pressure on political parties to keep the Edicts, by threatening the city with 'chaos' and 'lack of protection'. Nevertheless, the Convention again chose to favour the citizen's interesest and not to fear the 'powers', and the Edicts were repealed. Once the new city Statute is promulgated, a Contravention Justice will have to be created in a 90 days period, to see over those cases of infrigments like illegal gambling, being drunk in public places and causing trouble, etc. Police will only be able to arrest somebody who is effectily contravening and she/he should be inmediately sent over to a Contravention Judge. Nobody could be arrested in Buenos Aires simply for being 'suspicious' or to check her/his police records. Police will not be allowed to hold IDs or to take statements. Conventional Maria Jose Lubertino (UCR), who advocated this project as well as the anti-discriminatory clause including sexual orientation (already passed), said both were related as the Edicts are "a vestige from the past, aimed at separating those considered 'different' from the mainstream society; to repeal them is a way to make non-discrimination effective". In the l/g/b/t/t community, transvestites and transsexuals are the most benefitted by this measure, as they suffered police brutality in its cruelest forms during all these years. Facts: more than 40 transvestites were murdered in these last 4 years; a 43 years old transsexual estimates she has spend a total of 6 years in jail during her life; transvestites working in the street spend in average 3 nights in police stations every week. This achievement is the work of those who denounced police brutality and fought against it during all these years: transvestites, transsexuals, sex workers, young people, victim's families and their lawyers who in many cases were arrested and beated themselves when defending their clients. The support provided by human right, feminists, g/l/b/t and community organizations was also important in order that politicians finally decided to listen to what people claims. Alejandra Sarda Piedras 1170 1ero. B, (1070), Buenos Aires Phone: (54 1) 307 66 56 y/o 581 01 79 Fax: (54 1) 373 89 55 E.mail: ales@wamani.apc.org ****************************************************************************** * To subscribe to QUEERPLANET, send mail to: majordomo@abacus.oxy.edu * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: subscribe queerplanet * * To unsubscribe to QUEERPLANET, send mail to: majordomo@abacus.oxy.edu * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: unsubscribe queerplanet * * Words in the Subject: line are NOT processed! * ******************************************************************************