'Argentina with Cristina': Thousands rally for convicted ex-president
In a recorded speech played for supporters amassed on Buenos Aires's Plaza de Mayo square, Kirchner said: "We will be back with more wisdom, more unity, more strength."
Backers of the polarizing leftist massed on the square and spilled into surrounding streets for a demonstration called by the 72-year-old's Justicialist Party.
Under the slogan "Argentina with Cristina," protesters sang and beat drums, waving national flags and banners with messages such as "The motherland is not for sale."
"We came because it's an attack on democracy to outlaw someone like Cristina who the people want to vote for," Rocio Gavino, a 29-year-old public employee, told AFP.
Kirchner supporters had been holding a vigil outside her home in Buenos Aires since the Supreme Court last week upheld her conviction and sentence for "fraudulent administration" while president, along with a lifelong ban on her holding public office.
On Tuesday, a court ruled she could serve her sentence at home under electronic surveillance.
She will be allowed limited visits, principally from family members, lawyers and doctors.
In 2022, Kirchner's conviction sparked demonstrations in several cities, some of which ended in clashes with police.
'Justice. End.'
Kirchner rose to prominence as one half of a political power couple with her late husband Nestor Kirchner, who preceded her as president.
Both are associated with the center-left Peronist movement founded by post-war president Juan Peron.
After two terms at the helm herself between 2007 and 2015, Kirchner served as vice president from 2019 to 2023 in the last center-left administration before the presidency of libertarian Javier Milei, whose austerity policies she has criticized.
Milei had welcomed the court's dismissal of her appeal, writing on X: "Justice. End."
Kirchner and her backers claim the case was a plot to end her career and unravel her legacy of protectionist economics and social programs.
"We are here because the national government, together with the judiciary, made the decision to ban Cristina from elections," protester Federico Mochi, a Peronist youth leader, told AFP.
Lara Goyburu, a political scientist from the University of Buenos Aires, told AFP that Wednesday's protest "demonstrates that the broader Peronist movement still retains some capacity for street mobilization" in a time of deep political polarization.
'Harassment'
In preparation for the protests, police set up checkpoints on major roads to the capital, searching cars and buses -- much to the annoyance of citizens.
Under a special protocol adopted Tuesday, they also erected barriers at the main train station and performed identity checks on anyone carrying pro-Kirchner placards or other political paraphernalia.
The protocol allows police to detain any citizen without an ID document for up to 10 hours without a court order.
"It's harassment that makes no sense," Daniel Catalano, a leader of the state workers' union, told Radio El Destape.
Correpi, an NGO fighting police repression, said the measures amounted to the "destruction of the country's democratic freedoms."
Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni defended the operation.
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Justice at stake as generative AI enters the courtroom
Judges use the technology for research, lawyers utilize it for appeals and parties involved in cases have relied on GenAI to help express themselves in court. "It's probably used more than people expect," said Daniel Linna, a professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, about GenAI in the US legal system. "Judges don't necessarily raise their hand and talk about this to a whole room of judges, but I have people who come to me afterward and say they are experimenting with it." In one prominent instance, GenAI enabled murder victim Chris Pelkey to address an Arizona courtroom -- in the form of a video avatar -- at the sentencing of the man convicted of shooting him dead in 2021 during a clash between motorists. "I believe in forgiveness," said a digital proxy of Pelkey created by his sister, Stacey Wales. The judge voiced appreciation for the avatar, saying it seemed authentic. "I knew it would be powerful," Wales told AFP, "that that it would humanize Chris in the eyes of the judge." The AI testimony, a first of its kind, ended the sentencing hearing at which Wales and other members of the slain man's family spoke about the impact of the loss. Since the hearing, examples of GenAI being used in US legal cases have multiplied. "It is a helpful tool and it is time-saving, as long as the accuracy is confirmed," said attorney Stephen Schwartz, who practices in the northeastern state of Maine. "Overall, it's a positive development in jurisprudence." Schwartz described using ChatGPT as well as GenAI legal assistants, such as LexisNexis Protege and CoCounsel from Thomson Reuters, for researching case law and other tasks. "You can't completely rely on it," Schwartz cautioned, recommending that cases proffered by GenAI be read to ensure accuracy. "We are all aware of a horror story where AI comes up with mixed-up case things." The technology has been the culprit behind false legal citations, far-fetched case precedents, and flat-out fabrications. In early May, a federal judge in Los Angeles imposed $31,100 in fines and damages on two law firms for an error-riddled petition drafted with the help of GenAI, blasting it as a "collective debacle." The tech is also being relied on by some who skip lawyers and represent themselves in court, often causing legal errors. And as GenAI makes it easier and cheaper to draft legal complaints, courts already overburdened by caseloads could see them climb higher, said Shay Cleary of the National Center for State Courts. "Courts need to be prepared to handle that," Cleary said. Transformation Law professor Linna sees the potential for GenAI to be part of the solution though, giving more people the ability to seek justice in courts made more efficient. "We have a huge number of people who don't have access to legal services," Linna said. "These tools can be transformative; of course we need to be thoughtful about how we integrate them." Federal judges in the US capitol have written decisions noting their use of ChatGPT in laying out their opinions. "Judges need to be technologically up-to-date and trained in AI," Linna said. GenAI assistants already have the potential to influence the outcome of cases the same way a human law clerk might, reasoned the professor. Facts or case law pointed out by GenAI might sway a judge's decision, and could be different than what a legal clerk would have come up with. But if GenAI lives up to its potential and excels at finding the best information for judges to consider, that could make for well-grounded rulings less likely to be overturned on appeal, according to Linna.
Fashion Network
4 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Made in Vietnam: Hanoi cracks down on fake goods as US tariffs loom
Home › News › Industry Download Print Since the United States accused Vietnam of being a hub for counterfeit goods, Tran Le Chi has found it increasingly hard to track down her favourite fake Chanel T-shirts, Gucci sunglasses and Louis Vuitton handbags. AFP As Vietnam's government tries to head off President Donald Trump's threatened 46 percent tariff, it has launched a crackdown on fake products -- in part to show responsiveness to US concerns. Now there are streets filled with shuttered shops in Hanoi and rows of closed stalls at Saigon Square shopping mall, a major clothing market in Ho Chi Minh City -- the kind of places Chi used to go to buy her latest gear. "The clothes help me look trendy," Chi told AFP. "Why would I care if they are fake or not?"Chi -- a betting agent for an illegal game known as lo-de, where punters predict the last two lotto numbers of the standard daily draw -- said she had never paid more than $40 per "designer" item. "Only the super-rich people can afford the real ones," she added. "They're not for people like us." Communist-run Vietnam is a manufacturing powerhouse that produces clothing and footwear for international brands, with the United States its number-one export market in the first five months of it also has a thriving market for counterfeit a report published by the US Trade Representative in January, Saigon Square shopping mall was flagged as a major market for the sale of fake luxury items including handbags, wallets, jewellery and report noted government efforts to stamp out the trade, but said "low penalties have had little deterrent effect" and "counterfeit products remain rampant". Shop owner Hoa, a pseudonym to protect her identity, said almost all of the fake Nike, Lacoste and North Face products she sells in her shop in Hanoi's old quarter are from China -- but tagged with a "Made in Vietnam" label to make them seem authentic. She insists that all her customers know what they're getting."My clients are those who cannot afford authentic products," Hoa said. "I've never cheated anyone."Hanoi and Washington are in the thick of trade talks, with Vietnam doing everything it can to avoid the crushing 46 percent tariff that could come into force in early trade ministry ordered authorities in April to tighten control over the origin of goods after the Trump administration accused the country of facilitating Chinese exports to the United States and allowing Beijing to get around public security ministry also said there would be a three-month-long crackdown -- until mid-August -- on counterfeit Thanh Nam, deputy head of the agency for domestic market surveillance and development, said last week that in the first five months of the year, more than 7,000 cases of counterfeit products worth more than $8 million had been discovered. He added that 1,000 fake Rolex watches had been seized from Saigon Square shopping mall. Mounds of vitamins, cosmetics and sweets -- seemingly also counterfeits -- have appeared at waste grounds outside cities including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, while fake electronics including Marshall speakers and smartwatches have been confiscated. Police have not specified the origin of the goods, but Vietnam was Southeast Asia's biggest buyer of Chinese products in 2024, with a bill of $161.9 billion. Nguyen Khac Giang, visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said that although there were other aims of the drive, including improving Vietnam's business environment and formalising the retail sector, "the campaign plays a role in Vietnam's strategy to appease the US"."The effort partly reflects Vietnam's intent to show responsiveness to US concerns," he for Hoa, her livelihood is on the line. Her shop has been closed for almost two weeks and she has no idea how to restart the business. "I have sold these sorts of clothes for a decade and experienced no problem at all. Now they crack down on us, it's hard to figure out how I continue," she said. Copyright © 2025 AFP. All rights reserved. All information displayed in this section (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the contents of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presses. Fashion Jobs : CHANEL GUCCI LOUIS VUITTON
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
'Argentina with Cristina': Thousands rally for convicted ex-president
In a recorded speech played for supporters amassed on Buenos Aires's Plaza de Mayo square, Kirchner said: "We will be back with more wisdom, more unity, more strength." Backers of the polarizing leftist massed on the square and spilled into surrounding streets for a demonstration called by the 72-year-old's Justicialist Party. Under the slogan "Argentina with Cristina," protesters sang and beat drums, waving national flags and banners with messages such as "The motherland is not for sale." "We came because it's an attack on democracy to outlaw someone like Cristina who the people want to vote for," Rocio Gavino, a 29-year-old public employee, told AFP. Kirchner supporters had been holding a vigil outside her home in Buenos Aires since the Supreme Court last week upheld her conviction and sentence for "fraudulent administration" while president, along with a lifelong ban on her holding public office. On Tuesday, a court ruled she could serve her sentence at home under electronic surveillance. She will be allowed limited visits, principally from family members, lawyers and doctors. In 2022, Kirchner's conviction sparked demonstrations in several cities, some of which ended in clashes with police. 'Justice. End.' Kirchner rose to prominence as one half of a political power couple with her late husband Nestor Kirchner, who preceded her as president. Both are associated with the center-left Peronist movement founded by post-war president Juan Peron. After two terms at the helm herself between 2007 and 2015, Kirchner served as vice president from 2019 to 2023 in the last center-left administration before the presidency of libertarian Javier Milei, whose austerity policies she has criticized. Milei had welcomed the court's dismissal of her appeal, writing on X: "Justice. End." Kirchner and her backers claim the case was a plot to end her career and unravel her legacy of protectionist economics and social programs. "We are here because the national government, together with the judiciary, made the decision to ban Cristina from elections," protester Federico Mochi, a Peronist youth leader, told AFP. Lara Goyburu, a political scientist from the University of Buenos Aires, told AFP that Wednesday's protest "demonstrates that the broader Peronist movement still retains some capacity for street mobilization" in a time of deep political polarization. 'Harassment' In preparation for the protests, police set up checkpoints on major roads to the capital, searching cars and buses -- much to the annoyance of citizens. Under a special protocol adopted Tuesday, they also erected barriers at the main train station and performed identity checks on anyone carrying pro-Kirchner placards or other political paraphernalia. The protocol allows police to detain any citizen without an ID document for up to 10 hours without a court order. "It's harassment that makes no sense," Daniel Catalano, a leader of the state workers' union, told Radio El Destape. Correpi, an NGO fighting police repression, said the measures amounted to the "destruction of the country's democratic freedoms." Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni defended the operation. © 2025 AFP
