Buenos Aires, February 27, 2026 -- A 57-year-old man was sentenced to four years in prison for having barricaded himself in an apartment in the Recoleta neighborhood, where he took his ex-wife and six-year-old son hostage in January 2024. According to official sources, the sentence was promoted by the PCyF 10 Prosecutor's Office, led by José Sylvié, within the framework of a abbreviated trial before the head of the PCyF 1 Court. The magistrate considered the accused to be criminally responsible for the crimes of unlawful deprivation of liberty aggravated by violence and threats, in real conjunction with minor injuries aggravated by family ties and by gender-based violence. The accused kept both victims in a house located at the intersection of Santa Fe and Pueyrredón avenues, where a police operation was deployed, and at that time, he was charged with injuries in the context of gender-based violence, unlawful deprivation of liberty, damages and disobedience to authority. He was arrested at the scene and remained in preventive detention throughout the judicial process. In addition to the prison sentence, the judge ordered a ban on any type of contact with his ex-wife. As for the son's situation, the case continues to be processed in the Civil Justice system.
