(Periodistas/IFEX) – After writing a number of articles on the confrontation between a group of unemployed persons and former members of the intelligence services, Cristian Alarcon, a journalist with the “Página/12” daily, received two warnings advising him to stop investigating the case. First, someone entered in his hotel room and stole his plane ticket and […]
(Periodistas/IFEX) – After writing a number of articles on the confrontation
between a group of unemployed persons and former members of the intelligence
services, Cristian Alarcon, a journalist with the “Página/12” daily,
received two warnings advising him to stop investigating the case. First,
someone entered in his hotel room and stole his plane ticket and some
information. The following day, a van followed him at high speed as he was
heading towards the airport.
On Tuesday 27 July 1999, a group of supposed parishioners evicted a group of
unemployed persons from the Mar del Plata city cathedral. The following day,
an individual called the “Página/12” office numerous times, saying that he
had information about the matter. The person said that he was a “friend” who
knew Ricardo Oliveros, one of the supposed parishioners who carried out the
eviction. The person on the phone assured Alarcon that Oliveros belonged to
the military intelligence services and had been task chief during the last
military dictatorship. Other sources confirmed to Alarcon that former
members of the intelligence services had been amongst those who evicted the
unemployed.
On the morning of Friday 30 July, Alarcon went to Mar del Plata to get more
information. That same evening, the same informer called him at his hotel in
Mar del Plata to warn him that he should be careful with what he left in his
room because it was surely going to be noted. “Fool. Take care of yourself.
You are getting mixed up with some shady characters. Very shady. Oliveros
did not carry out one kidnapping, but a hundred. And the others too. They
used to torture people. Be careful,” Alarcon was warned.
Not wanting to give the matter any greater importance than necessary,
Alarcon went out to eat with a friend. The following day, he realised that
someone had taken his plane ticket and photocopies of information he had
been given by local sources. At 6:30 p.m. (local time), he took a taxi to
the airport. Some minutes afterwards, the driver realised that the car was
being followed by two men in a white van. The driver tried some risky
manoeuvres in an attempt to lose the pursuers, but had to ask for the
police’s assistance to get away. Finally, Alarcon arrived at the airport,
but too late to catch his plane.
