Fact Check: "The Supreme Court confirmed Cristina Kirchner's conviction one week after she announced her candidacy for the Buenos Aires province’s legislature."
What We Know
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the former president of Argentina, was recently sentenced to six years in prison for corruption, following a ruling by the Supreme Court that upheld her conviction. This ruling was confirmed just one week after she announced her candidacy for a seat in the Buenos Aires provincial legislature, which would have granted her immunity from serving her sentence if she won the election (New York Times, NPR). The Supreme Court's decision has been described as politically charged, with Kirchner and her supporters alleging that the ruling was an attempt to silence her political influence (Buenos Aires Times).
Analysis
The timing of the Supreme Court's ruling, which occurred shortly after Kirchner's candidacy announcement, raises questions about the motivations behind the legal actions taken against her. Kirchner has characterized the court's decision as a politically motivated attack, stating, "Coincidence is not a political category" (New York Times). This sentiment is echoed by her supporters, who have organized protests and roadblocks in response to the ruling, suggesting a significant public backlash against the court's decision (NPR).
The Supreme Court's ruling upheld a previous conviction that found Kirchner guilty of steering public works contracts to a close associate during her presidency from 2007 to 2015. Critics of Kirchner argue that her administration was marked by economic mismanagement and corruption, while her supporters view her as a champion of social programs (New York Times, NPR). The credibility of the sources reporting on this issue is generally high, as they include established news organizations with a history of political reporting in Argentina.
Conclusion
The claim that the Supreme Court confirmed Cristina Kirchner's conviction one week after she announced her candidacy for the Buenos Aires province’s legislature is True. The evidence supports the timeline of events, with the Supreme Court's ruling occurring shortly after her political announcement. The political implications of the ruling, as well as the surrounding protests and public sentiment, further substantiate the significance of this claim.
