(Periodistas/IFEX) – On 1 October 1997, Jose Luis Macchi, a judge in Dolores who is overseeing the investigation of the murder of photographer Jose Luis Cabezas on 25 January 1997 in Pinamar, summoned businessman Alfredo Yabran to appear in court on 10 October “to provide information in regard to the crimes of illegal deprivation of […]
(Periodistas/IFEX) – On 1 October 1997, Jose Luis Macchi, a judge
in Dolores who is overseeing the investigation of the murder of
photographer Jose Luis Cabezas on 25 January 1997 in Pinamar,
summoned businessman Alfredo Yabran to appear in court on 10
October “to provide information in regard to the crimes of
illegal deprivation of freedom as demonstrated by threats and
violence in either a real or a material capacity, and homicide,
done through treacherous means and through the premeditated
collaboration of two or three individuals, and in the role of
instigator” (“a prestar declaracion informativa por los delitos
de privacion ilegal de la libertad calificada por amenazas y
violencia en concurso real o material, con homicidio doblemente
calificado por alevosia y por el concurso premeditado de dos o
mas personas, en grado de instigador”). In this way, Yabran is no
longer a mere “suspect” in the murder, but rather becomes a
“individual charged but not yet tried” (“imputado no procesado”).
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 2 September, 14 February and 27
January 1997**
Macchi also handed down a preventive prison term (“prision
preventiva”) against Yabran’s head of security, Gregorio Rios,
who has been in detention since 1 September, the day when he
turned himself in after being a fugitive of justice since 29
August (see IFEX alert of 2 September).
By ordering Yabran to appear in court, Macchi will attempt to
determine up to what point he was involved in the movements of
Rios, who is alleged to have instigated the murder of Cabezas and
also to have links with Gustavo Prellezo, a police official
accused of killing Cabezas.
Macchi suspects that Rios lacked both the money and the motives
to carry out the murder, which, on the other hand, Yabran
probably did not lack. It is expected that the judge will
question Yabran over the aggressive behaviour of his security men
toward the press, especially journalists with the magazine
“Noticias”, where Cabezas worked. Macchi will likely also ask
Yabran about what the latter said to the director of “Noticias”
when the magazine published on its cover the first-known
photograph of Yabran, an enigmatic individual whose face, until
that moment, had not been seen. Yabran said, “to take a picture
of me is like shooting me.” The person who had taken that
photograph was Cabezas.
In spite of the developments in the investigation of Yabran,
Macchi has done very little in regard to investigating the
police, who are also implicated in the murder of Cabezas.
