Pity Álvarez homicide trial to continue after court rejects judge recusal

The Argentine judiciary has rejected a recusal request filed by the defense of musician Cristian Gabriel “Pity” Álvarez Congiú. The request sought to remove the judges of the Criminal and Correctional Oral Tribunal No. 29 and the prosecutor from the trial regarding the 2018 homicide of Cristian Maximiliano “Gringo” Díaz.

Judge Gustavo Bruzzone of the National Chamber of Cassation ruled that the defense failed to demonstrate “the existence of circumstances that allow for the reasonable inference of a fear of partiality from an objective perspective.” The court noted that the defense's arguments primarily expressed disagreement with judicial decisions made within the scope of the tribunal's legal powers.

The defense, led by lawyers Javier Baños and Sebastián Queijeiro, had raised 20 points of contention, including concerns over the defendant's mental health and the status of the judges as the “natural judges” of the case. Following the ruling, the defense indicated they would file a writ of unconstitutionality before the Superior Court of Justice of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

The oral debate is scheduled to resume on Monday, September 14, with the continuation of witness testimonies.