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Argentina’s High Court Curtails Long Pretrial Detention in Dictatorship Cases

The decision overturns the extension of ex-CNU member Carlos “Indio” Castillo’s detention, stopping short of ordering nationwide reviews.

Overview

  • The Supreme Court revoked the latest extension of Castillo’s preventive detention and reaffirmed that restrictions on liberty before a final verdict must be applied restrictively for all defendants.
  • The ruling signals a practical ceiling of three years without a firm conviction, rejecting generic appeals to case complexity to justify prolonged detention.
  • Justices Horacio Rosatti and Carlos Rosenkrantz formed the majority with conjueces Alejandro Tazza and Abel Guillermo Sánchez, as Ricardo Lorenzetti dissented.
  • Court sources presented the decision as a cue for lower courts to reassess detentions, though the judgment includes no explicit directive for across-the-board reviews.
  • Reaction split quickly, with Bishop Santiago Olivera publicly praising the judges while human-rights specialists warned the move benefits accused perpetrators and evokes the contentious 2x1 precedent.