In the midst of her fight with the courts over the Media Law, Argentine President Cristina Fernández took time to bash the Judiciary after Tuesday’s a scandalous ruling on the disappearance of a young woman, (kidnapped and forced into prostitution) with all suspects acquitted of all charges.
The Argentine government submitted on Tuesday morning an extraordinary recourse before the Federal Civil and Commercial Court against the extension of the Clarín Group’s injunction to comply with the Media Law, granted by the Civil and Commercial Court N° 1.
In a major speech on Sunday before the iconic Plaza de Mayo celebrating ‘Democracy Day’ and ‘Human Rights Day’ , Argentine President Cristina Fernandez kept pressure on Judges and independent media calling for a “deep democratization of the three branches of government” and a “greater independence from economic power and corporations”.
An Argentine Senator from the ruling coalition warned that judges who upheld an injunction request made by the media group Clarín on Thursday could be impeached.
The Argentine Supreme Court delayed on Friday until next week an answer to President Cristina Fernandez administration’s complaint referred to the Media Law when the seven Justices are present. Currently one is overseas on an academic trip and two others were unable to attend the emergency meeting.
President Cristina Fernandez and the Argentine Judiciary branch are on a collision course after a federal court, despite all kinds of pressure and threats, decided on Thursday to extend an injunction referred to a controversial media bill which seems targeted to dismember the powerful Clarin Media Group, which has become to the eyes of the regime enemy number one.
The Global Editors Network (GEN) called on the world’s media to focus attention on a press freedom crisis in Argentina where independent journalism is facing a major threat on 7 December 2012, the day announced by the government for the break-up of the Clarin Group, the country’s main independent media organization.