MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Alberto Fernández to stand trial for gender violence against former First Lady

Fernández has insisted he exercised no violence against Yáñez and the bruises were just makeup

Former Argentine President Alberto Fernández (2019–2023) has been indicted by a Buenos Aires Federal Court of Appeals and will therefore face trial for gender-based violence against his former partner and First Lady Fabiola Yáñez, it was announced Tuesday.

The charges against the former head of State include “serious injury” and “coercive threats” stemming from alleged physical and psychological violence between 2016 and 2024.

The 82-page ruling, supported by judges Martín Irurzun and Eduardo Farah, cites evidence of continuous gender violence, including bruises on Yáñez documented in photos, and notes the power imbalance and isolation she faced, which harmed her health. Judge Roberto Boico dissented, citing flaws in the investigation.

Fernández, 66, denies the allegations, claiming no violence occurred and questioning the evidence. The charges carry a potential penalty of 3 to 18 years in prison.

While dismissing Fernández's defense's arguments, Irurzun underscored “the different forms of gender violence that in a continuous manner between 2016 and 2024, the accused exercised over the victim.” He also noted that the violence caused “serious damage” to the health of the former first lady, journalist Fabiola Yáñez, “which were sufficiently proven.”

Irurzun also highlighted the “marked inequality of power” that Fernández maintained over Yáñez and the “isolation” to which she was subjected in the presidential residence, leading to “a marked deterioration in the victim's health conditions.”

The evidence against Fernández, who has a 3-year-old son with Yáñez, came to light during a corruption investigation in which the then-president's private secretary María Cantero's mobile phone was seized, containing pictures sent to her by Yáñez.

Fernández has insisted he exercised no “physical, psychological or economic violence” against his ex-partner and underlined the lack of eyewitnesses, so the bruises were just makeup.