EFFORTPOST Torture in Salta jail (Argentina), 2011, by the cops from a local drug division Video in the post. News and follow-up included [six officers were sentenced, one for not reporting the incident]

In 2012, a video surfaced depicting the abuse of two detainees in a jail in Salta, north Argentina. It shows a skinny, handcuffed guy standing in a prison yard only in his underwear, while the weather appears to be cold and rainy (autumn). He has a plastic bag pulled over his head, and after a while, the guard twists it around, starting to choke the guy. He falls down and twitches around, panting when the bag is removed. Another guy in the background is kneeling only in shorts and is splashed with water repeatedly. It sparked an outrage in the media. A few years later, five police officers were sentenced to 10 to 12 years. The sixth one got 3 years for not reporting the incident. Reportedly, it was an outstanding sentence - not because of its length (the prosecution wanted 15 years at first), but 'for considering a torture to be torture'.

First, the video.

Now, map and the police station itself. Google Street View is from May 2014. Today, it looks the same, but uglier and the trees were cut down.

The incident happened in the 11th police station (Comisaría 11. in General Güemes, in Salta province (north Argentina). The exact date is unknown, although it ranges from September to November 2011. The video surfaced in July 2012, receiving wide media attention. Argentinian human rights activists claimed that torture, mistreatment and bad conditions are a 'persistent' problem in detention centers, police stations, children's boarding schools and psychiatric institutions. The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) registered 155 cases of torture and ill-treatment between June and August 2011, of which nearly 6 out of 10 were not reported to the authorities. CESL also reported that a reform of the penitentiary system is needed, as well as the efficient job of torture prevention. Argentina passed legislation in 2012 to set up its own National Preventive Mechanism committee.

The young men in the video from Salta were not identified, at least publicly. It was first uploaded on the unprecized website, and the topic was picked up by the main Argentinian online newspapers, like Clarín and La Nación. After the publication of this video, six police officers were arrested. They were from División Drogas Peligrosas de General Güemes (literally the Dangerous Drugs Division of General Güemes). According to the local newspaper, El Tribuno de Salta, it wasn't the first time a similar case surfaced. The previous weekend of this news' publication, a 17 yo guy reported that he was detained without a valid reason and went through a sexual assault attempt.

The footage was taken by the police officer, Roberto Augusto Barrionuevo. The courtyard was considered a 'blind spot', from which nothing could be easily seen or heard. It wasn't visible from the outside of the police station or through the office windows. There was around 10 police officers per shift, so it was quite weird to think that half of them was 'missing' and that nobody knew about the torture 'blind spot', though. Four of the officers were Marcos Gordillo, Héctor Ramírez, Leonardo Serrano and Matías Cruz.

The video was uploaded to the internet by Barrionuevo, after an argument over money between Gordillo (the officer who was the most visible in the recording), and another named Arias, Barrionuevo's cousin. The uploading was a 'revenge'.

On 4th of April 2016, the six police officers involved were sentenced. The prosecution demanded 15 years. Five men received 10 to 12 years, and the sixth one - 3 years, for not reporting the incident. The sentence was given by three judges, Carolina Sanguedol, Mónica Mukdsi and Martín Pérez. This ruling was an exceptional one, not only because of the high sentences, but also because it took torture seriously - as it should. It should have encouraged the authorities to take action ASAP and not wait for the case to become public after some disagreement.

⠀SOURCES

https://www.rfi.fr/es/americas/20120721-argentina-conmocionada-por-video-que-muestra-torturas-en-carcel-de-salta

https://www.diariojudicial.com/news-66678-cels-las-torturas-en-salta-evidencian-una-deuda-legislativa

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/04/un-torture-prevention-body-visit-argentina

https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-296208-2016-04-05.html