Argentine court sentences two former officials for violence and abuse

Two separate legal rulings in Argentina have resulted in conditional prison sentences for former officials involving violence and sexual abuse.

In Ushuaia, a criminal court sentenced Marcelo Damián Guzmán, a 57-year-old judicial official and lawyer, to three years of suspended imprisonment. The court found Guzmán responsible for aggravated serious injuries involving gender-based violence against his former wife, Carla Kirstein. The incident occurred in May 2021, during a domestic dispute that resulted in a shoulder injury requiring surgery. The presiding judge, Maximiliano García Arpón, noted the consistency of the victim's testimony and emphasized that delays in reporting violence should not discredit victims.

In Santa Fe, former Secretary of Social Participation for the Ministry of Health, Marcelo Dellaporta, was sentenced to three years of conditional imprisonment for simple sexual abuse against an employee. Dellaporta accepted the sentence through an abbreviated trial. The court imposed several restrictions, including a prohibition on contacting the victim, staying at least 200 meters away from her, and refraining from weapon possession and substance abuse. He will also be added to the National Registry of Genetic Data linked to sexual integrity crimes.