Today, the first working day after the judicial recess, human rights organizations launch an online campaign to revive society’s repudiation of the ruling that granted the “2 for 1” benefit to perpetrators of crimes during the last dictatorship, and demand that the Argentine Supreme Court issue a new ruling that reverses this dangerous precedent.
The campaign is aimed at raising awareness that this danger continues to be latent and sharing arguments by national and international judicial specialists who sustain that the “2 for 1” law must not be applied to crimes against humanity. This law, which was repealed in 2001, stated that any year spent in pretrial detention after the first two years should count doubly when calculating a final prison term, effectively reducing prison sentences.
As Argentines did on May 10, taking to the streets, we ask that they once again join us to reject this ruling – this time on social media.
There is no reason for the Supreme Court to delay addressing this issue. Both the plaintiffs and the National Attorney General’s Office upheld in submissions to the country’s high court that the “2 for 1” benefit must not be extended to criminals from the last dictatorship, in line with the law that Congress approved last May 10, which was promulgated by the executive branch two days later.