Rio de Janeiro's justice system ordered on Thursday the pretrial detention of Agostina Páez, the lawyer from Santiago del Estero who is accused of having made racist gestures and expressions against employees of a bar in the Ipanema neighborhood.
The measure was adopted at the request of the Brazilian prosecutor's office, which considered that there are procedural risks that justify the detention while the case moves forward.
Hours after the court decision became known, Páez released a video on her TikTok account in which she appeared distressed and stated that she is going through a moment of extreme concern.
"All my rights are being violated. I am desperate and terrified. I am making this video so that the situation I am going through will resonate," she stated in front of the camera.
Los gestos quedaron grabados en videos
In the recording, the young woman also maintained that she has always been at the disposal of the justice system and questioned one of the central arguments of the ruling.
"I received the notification that there is an order for pretrial detention due to risk of flight, even though I have an electronic ankle monitor on and I have been at the disposal of the authorities since day one", she stated, in reference to the control measure that had been imposed on her after her initial arrest.
What is known about what happened at the bar in Ipanema?
The incident that led to the case occurred on January 14, when Páez was with friends at a bar in Ipanema. According to the investigation, the conflict began at the moment of paying the bill and led to an argument with the staff of the establishment. According to the complaint, the lawyer made gestures imitating a monkey and uttered offensive, racially charged expressions directed at the waiters.
In later statements, Páez acknowledged that her reaction was inappropriate, although she insisted that it occurred after she had been provoked by employees of the bar, who — according to her version — had mocked her and her companions with obscene gestures. That explanation, however, was not considered sufficient by the investigators to lessen the gravity of the events.
Criminal Court No. 37 of Rio de Janeiro decided to grant the prosecutor's request and order the pretrial detention of the defendant for the crime of racial slur. In the ruling, the court keeps that keeping her free "would cause serious harm to the criminal investigation," since she could intimidate witnesses and victims in order to influence their statements.
The decision also warns about the possibility that the accused might leave the country, which — according to the court — "would entail extremely harmful consequences for the establishment of the real truth." That risk of flight was one of the central arguments for moving forward with the most severe measure.
