Automatically translated with AI.
Today, a new trial took place in Courtroom III of the Chamber of Cassation and Appeals of the City of Buenos Aires, in the case brought against the left-wing leader Alejandro Bodart (MST-FITU) for defending the Palestinian people and denouncing the genocide of the State of Israel.
Alejandro assisted together with the defense lawyers María del Carmen Verdú and Ismael Jalil, accompanied by a mobilization in which other leaders of the FIT Unity and other solidarity organizations such as Vientos del Pueblo and Judies por Palestina, among others, participated. Also participating in the hearing was City Deputy Cele Fierro.
Bodart declared: “In 2022 I published three tweets in which I denounced the State of Israel for its racist character and for committing crimes against the Palestinian people, while expressing my support in solidarity with their struggle. For pointing out that reality, the DAIA denounced me and found prosecutors who took me to court, accusing me of ‘anti-Semitism’ in a totally unfounded manner. I was acquitted in two instances, since my words are framed within the right to freedom of expression. In spite of that, the Argentine Justice again showed its alignment with power, when judges Ignacio Mahiques and Jorge Atilio Franza convicted me and that is why we filed the appeal today, demanding my acquittal. The crimes against humanity committed cannot be silenced no matter how much judicial persecution they want to impose on us. While Benjamin Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant as a war criminal, they want to silence me for expressing the truth and supporting the Palestinian people. We are not afraid of them. Far from muzzling us, we will not stop denouncing genocide. There are millions of us in the world who will not remain silent in the face of such a horror that has claimed more than 60,000 lives, including the lives of thousands of children.
In turn, the Deputy of the City Cele Fierro said: “The case brought against Alejandro is a cause of all, because they are trying to silence those of us who denounce the genocide suffered by the Palestinian people. Criticizing the policies of a State is not the same as discriminating against its population. Together with our colleagues and lawyers, María del Carmen Verdú and Ismael Jalil, we demand his acquittal and reaffirm our commitment to the Palestinian people. Defending human rights and exercising freedom of expression cannot be a reason for criminalization. This judicial process not only affects him, but also sets an alarming precedent for all people who raise their voices in defense of life and truth“.
