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Weekly Report - 15 September 2011 (WR-11-37)

REGION: Wanted Argentine judge hides in Chile

President Sebastián Piñera of Chile is unlikely to have a quiet ‘national month’ (September), as problems, at home and abroad, seem to stalk him around every corner. President Cristina Fernández of Argentina delivered the latest blow; members of the Chilean cabinet have confirmed that she will not attend the 18 September independence celebrations in Santiago. Though no specific reason was cited for the cancellation, there is widespread agreement in the local Argentine media, as well as in the Chilean administration, that the decision was taken to send a message to Santiago: relations with Buenos Aires will suffer substantially if Piñera’s government were to grant political asylum to Otilio Romano, a (now-suspended) judge for the province of Mendoza, wanted in relation to human rights violations committed during the last military dictatorship (1976-1983). An un-named source from the Piñera government has been quoted by the Argentine daily La Nación as saying that Fernández’s decision was an “unfriendly act”.

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