Court Rejects Habeas Corpus in Luciano Arruga Case: The Federal Court of San Martín has rejected the habeas corpus presented by the family of missing teenager Luciano Arruga last week. The writ, supported by the Centre of Legal and Social Studies (CELS), sought to oblige the state to take “all the necessary actions” to determine the whereabouts of Arruga, who was last seen in 2009. Today’s court ruling declared that the habeas corpus was not appropriate as the main criminal case into the ‘forced disappearance’ of Arruga would explain what happened to the 16-year-old. “We condemn this unconstitutional decision,” said the group Aparición con Vida de Luciano Arruga, made up of the teenager’s family and friend, on its Facebook page today. “We will appeal, of course.”
Protest Against Pulp Mill in Gualeguaychú: Residents of Gualeguaychú, province of Entre Ríos, marched yesterday against the UPM (ex-Botnia) pulp mill. For the tenth consecutive year, hundreds of people blocked the international bridge connecting the Argentine city with the Uruguayan town of Fray Bentos, where UPM is located. The focus of the protest was on the alleged pollution generated by the pulp mill on the Uruguay river and the atmosphere. The march began on Sunday morning at the city centre and moved towards the San Martín bridge, which was blocked for seven hours, under the banner “Without borders, for life”. Protestors read a statement criticising both the Argentine and Uruguayan governments for “protecting those who commit ‘ecocide’”. “Over 11 years of demands, over a decade lost in terms of the environment; the pulp mill should have gone and it’s still here, polluting our air, our river, our land,” said the statement. The Uruguayan government was also accused of not complying with the terms of the Uruguay River Treaty, and of “not heeding the orders of the International Court at The Hague, which compelled both countries to act in good faith and ordered a joint monitoring plan [of pollution levels in the river] which so far hasn’t been carried out.”
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