Iván Bordón attacked and detained by police
On 25 July 2018, lawyer and human rights defender Iván Bordón was detained in Tostado, Argentina, while he was legally representing a family during a police raid on their home. The police forces that carried out the raid prevented him from monitoring it, and when the defender complained, he was beaten by police officers and detained for “resistance to authority”.
Iván Bordón is a lawyer, human rights defender and member of the organisation Norte Amplio por los Derechos Humanos (Wide North for Human Rights). As a lawyer he has represented victims of human rights violations committed by the military dictatorship in Argentina in Santa Fe. The human rights defender has also advocated for small farmers who have suffered human rights violations from the loss of their land in northern Argentina.
On 25 July 2018, lawyer and human rights defender Iván Bordón was detained in Tostado, Argentina, while he was legally representing a family during a police raid on their home. The police forces that carried out the raid prevented him from monitoring it, and when the defender complained, he was beaten by police officers and detained for “resistance to authority”.
Iván Bordón is a lawyer, human rights defender and member of the organisation Norte Amplio por los Derechos Humanos (Wide North for Human Rights). As a lawyer he has represented victims of human rights violations committed by the military dictatorship in Argentina in Santa Fe. The human rights defender has also advocated for small farmers who have suffered human rights violations from the loss of their land in northern Argentina.
On 25 July 2018, Criminal Prosecutor Sonia Bustos ordered a raid on a family home on suspicion of illegal possession of weapons. Iván Bordón went to the house as legal counsel for the family, however while police forces carried out the raid, they prevented the defender from monitoring it. When he complained about this, he was beaten by police officers and detained for “resistance to authority”. Prosecutor Bustos later charged Iván Bordón with “resistance to authority” and “illicit association”. On 29 July 2018, the charges were dismissed by the Judge reviewing the case due to lack of evidence and the defender was unconditionally released after four days in detention.
While Front Line Defenders welcomes the dropping of all charges against Iván Bordón and his unconditional release, it is concerned that he was attacked and detained in the first place by Argentinian police forces, as it is believed that this was solely due to his legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights. Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Argentina to guarantee, in all circumstances, that human rights defenders are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free from all restrictions including judicial harassment.
