ARGENTINA Communications sent

4. On 5 December 2000, the Special Representative, together with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, sent an urgent appeal concerning the continuous death threats and harassment to which Ms. Matilde Bruera, a teacher at the National University of Rosario, and lawyer of families of the disappeared, of the Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos and the Foro Memoria y Sociedad in Santa Fe Province, had reportedly been subjected. It was reported that, on 20 July 2000, Ms. Bruera received a parcel in her office, inside of which was a hollowed out book containing explosives, a battery and cables. The parcel did not contain a detonator, but carried the message "rest in peace". Later, a threatening message was reportedly left on the voicemail of her cellular phone.

5. On 21 March 2001, the Special Representative, together with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, sent an urgent appeal regarding members of the Comision de Familiares de Victimas de Gatillo Facil, established by a group of parents whose children have been killed in police shootings. According to the information received, they have been intimidated and threatened by police agents since the group published a report documenting over 800 cases of fatal police shootings. Mr. Alberto Barreto, whose 12-year-old daughter was killed in a police shooting in January 2000, has reportedly been threatened and harassed by the police and has been followed on numerous occasions by a police patrol car. In addition, since Ms. Silvia Ruiz's 16-year-old son was shot dead by police in November 2000, the police have reportedly forced their way into her home on four occasions, although they did not have

a warrant. Twice the police have threatened to kill her and her other teenage son.

On 5 January 2001, the police reportedly prevented Mr. Oscar Rios from posting flyers

denouncing the killing of his son. On 13 January 2001, an anonymous caller reportedly phoned

to Ms. Delia Garcilazo's home to say that her grandson would be shot the next time.

On 2 January 2001, a policeman reportedly threatened Ms. Lidia Zarate and her family. Since

the killing of her 17-year-old son, the police have detained her other younger son three times.

Shortly after he was threatened, unknown men driving a car shot him three times in the leg.

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6. On 24 August 2001, the Special Representative transmitted an allegation letter to the Government of Argentina regarding the following cases.

7. According to the information received, Ms. Vanessa Piedrabuena, President of the Asociacion Travestis Unidas de Cordoba (ATUC), received threats from the police

on 16 February 2001 after she took part in a demonstration calling for the investigation into the death in custody of her fellow activist, Ms. Vanessa Lorena Ledesma, to be reopened. She complained to the Police Internal Affairs Division, but no action to investigate the case has been taken yet.

8. Ms. Hebe de Bonafini, President of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, reportedly received messages in May 2001 from unidentified persons threatening her. On 25 May 2001, her daughter, Ms. Maria Alejandra Bonafini, 35 years old, was reportedly violently attacked at her home in La Plata, Buenos Aires province, where she lives with her mother. These incidents are apparently retaliatory measures against the activities carried out by Ms. Hebe de Bonafini, whose two children and daughter-in-law were reportedly kidnapped and disappeared in 1977.

9. According to the information received, Mary y Pedro Ortiz, Lidia Zarate, Delia Garcilazo, Oscar Rios and Silva Ruiz, members of the Comision de Familiares de Victimas de Gatillo, have been intimidated and threatened. The threats reportedly intensified after the Comision submitted a report to the Ministerio de Gobemacion on 18 December 2000 containing details of 800 cases of fatal police shootings. Members of the Comision were reportedly threatened after they organized a 25-day demonstration in December 2000 against the local authorities in Buenos Aires province. Those responsible for the incidents were allegedly members of the armed police.

10. Carlos Varela, Diego Lavado and Alejandro Acosta, lawyers in the province of Mendoza, are reportedly continuously the victims of harassment and threats in connection with their work on one case of enforced disappearance and two cases of murder. According to the information received, on their way to the office, on 2 March 2001, they discovered that during the night their nameplate had been stolen and that electric cables had been removed. These facts were reported to the ministry of justice of the province who ordered measures to guarantee their safety. The Special Representative has been informed that the measures were not sufficient to protect the lawyers.

11. On 22 October 2001, the Special Representative sent an urgent appeal regarding threats against Ms. Olga Luquez. According to the information received, on 17 September 2001, after she had appeared on television to commemorate the anniversary of her son's death (murdered on 1 October 1999 by the police of Tropero Sosa), a policeman reportedly aimed a gun at her

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while in a bus. Ms. Olga Luquez's friends who appeared on television were reportedly threatened and questioned by the police. In addition, on 11 October 2001, a police car reportedly kept Ms. Olga Luquez under surveillance while she was accompanying her daughter to school.