People Profile - 3 February 2004

Items

• Carmen Marí­a Argibay

  03 February 2004 Hits: 26

  PEOPLE PROFILE is published every Tuesday and describes the professional background of key people emerging in the political and economic scenario.

  
  

  
  Who is Carmen Argibay?
  She is one of Argentina's most renowned jurists. She is president of the International Women's Association of Judges (Argentina), and now she has been nominated for the supreme court of justice by President Néstor Kirchner.

  Why watch her?
  If she is appointed to the supreme court she will be the first woman to sit on the country's top tribunal since the restoration of democracy. Argibay is left-leaning, very pugnacious, and is a strong supporter of abortion in a country in which the Roman Catholic Church remains very influential.

  
  The file

  Born: 15 June 1939

  Place of birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

  Education: Law, Universidad de Buenos Aires.

  Public life: An upwardly mobile lawyer who has served at almost every level of the judiciary in Argentina and is currently a judge on the UN's international criminal court.

  
  Timeline:

  1960 - 1976: Starts her career in correctional law.
  1976: Arrested under the military dictatorship. She is released without charge. Works privately.
  1983: Appointed first appeals judge in correctional law.
  1994-1996: Member of the International Association of Penal Law, the International Society of Social Defence, and founder of the International Women's Association of Judges (Argentina).
  2000: Sat on the Tokyo tribunal for war crimes against women committed by the Japanese military.
  2001: Appointed to the UN's international criminal court.
  2004: Nominated for Argentina's supreme court by President Néstor Kirchner.

  Strong points:
  She is a lawyer of international repute. She will work closely with recently nominated supreme court judge Eugenio Zaffaroni, with whom she will have the task of cleaning up the dreadful image of the Argentine justice system after 13 years of being manipulated by former presidents Carlos Menem and Fernando De La Rúa.

  Weak points:
  She is probably too liberal for a conservative country. Her liberal stance on abortion, for instance, means that she is liable to face frequent run-ins with the Roman Catholic Church.

  Prospects:
  She faces another 40 days of congressional hearings before she is confirmed as a supreme court judge. Argibay will be immune to criticism from the national government. She is a fierce defender of the independence of the judiciary.