In both the international and domestic spheres, the same underlying problem persists: the imposition of power over the law. The death of Pedro Joaquín Pasteris, acquitted but never truly free, became a symbol of an outstanding debt of the Argentine state: justice in a timely manner, strict respect for constitutional guarantees, and humanity towards those, guilty or innocent, who cannot continue to be hostages of endless processes. Sources consulted: judicial files, rulings of the National Criminal Cassation Chamber, testimonies from family members and defenders, critical human rights organizations, historical precedents on the Malvinas Question, judicial and testimonial media. For many of those detained in cases from the 70s, prison becomes a sentence of anticipation that, in some cases, extends until death. This scenario, critics point out, represents a profound contradiction with the institutional discourses on human rights. Buenos Aires, January 21, 2026 - Total News Agency - TNA - The death of Pedro Joaquín Pasteris, a former police agent detained for over six years and acquitted just days before he died, once again brought to the forefront a reality that has plagued Argentina's judicial system for decades: hundreds of people remain deprived of their liberty in inhumane conditions, many without a final conviction, in processes questioned for violating elementary principles of law, including trials based on laws enacted after the alleged facts. Pasteris, 79, died in a hospital without having fully regained his freedom, despite the National Criminal Cassation Chamber having granted his acquittal just ten days earlier. He had cried with relief and anger upon learning of his acquittal. The case exposes a pattern that organizations and families have denounced for years: judicial processes permeated by political criteria, retroactive application of criminal norms, prolonged preventive detention, and conditions of detention that violate human dignity. The decision did not come in time. Even so, the court maintained his deprivation of liberty under the argument of another case underway, 'Operativo Independencia II'. Days later, the Appeals Court overturned the TOF's denial and ordered an urgent review of his situation. However, his judicial situation remained uncertain. Last April, his lawyers requested his release on bail, which was rejected by the Federal Oral Court of Tucumán. In December 2013, he was sentenced to ten years in prison in a process that his defense always denounced as irregular. Over time, his health deteriorated rapidly. Selectivity, judicial delay, and the lack of timely review of extreme situations are cited as arbitrary acts committed by politicized judges and prosecutors, which ultimately cause irreparable damage. In parallel, different sectors emphasized that the defense of human rights cannot be partial or ideological. 'There is no possible justice when the innocent are deprived of liberty until they die waiting for a resolution,' said those close to the deceased former police officer. The Pasteris case also revived historical demands related to national sovereignty and respect for international law. Pasteris died without hearing the final decision, despite having been declared innocent. The Cassation Chamber ordered that convicted military and police personnel continue their sentences under house arrest, which allowed Pasteris to leave the Villa Urquiza prison. In this context, leaders recalled that the United Kingdom cannot invoke the defense of a sovereignty that does not belong to it, by maintaining an illegitimate occupation over the Malvinas Islands, an Argentine territory usurped by force in 1833 and later artificially populated by Great Britain. It was only on August 31 last—exactly eleven years after his detention—that Cassation modified the ruling, acquitted several defendants, and annulled central charges. Among the acquitted was Pasteris. The defense insisted. That athletic man, nearly 1.90 meters tall and a former basketball player, ended up severely physically limited after years of confinement, hospitalizations, and surgeries. The former police officer had been charged in the so-called mega-case 'Arsenals / Police Headquarters II' and arrested on August 31, 2012.
