In May 30, the Interpol and the Uruguayan and Argentinian police arrested the PSTU leader.
By: Executive Committee – PSTU Argentina
29 months have passed since December 18, 2017, when the Cambiemos government, with Macri and Bullrich, tried, upon requests by the IMF and the big companies, to change even more the structure of the country, with a series of reforms such as the Pension, Labour, State and Tributary ones.
The workers’ response was massive, as well as the repression. Nevertheless, the establishment was damaged, and Cambiemos weakened.
Only the Pension Reform was approved, and partially. The corrupt Congress managed to cut the pensions, but was unable to increase the retirement age, the Labour Reform was not approved, and only a tributary deal was signed with the provinces.
Those were many defeats for a government. Little was achieved with so much repression, so his judges, the big media and their business sponsors did not hesitate in condemning the social struggle and, in the figure of Sebastián, tried to exemplify the persecution and punishment against any who stood up to fight.
Arbitrarily, manipulating the law, they pursued our leader to exhaustion.
No guarantee in the federal courts of Comodoro Py
The PSTU is not the only one that questions the actions of federal judges and prosecutors. There are many complaints against them for setting up causes.
What happened with Daniel Ruiz, who was arrested unjustly for 13 months, and the denunciations of the UN, among others, show that Sebastián did the right thing in avoiding this justice, because now, 29 months later, this shows how rotten these courts in service of the rich and the governments are.
A world that rises up, like on December 18
Hunger, harassment, oppression, and the violence of the state and the capitalists kindled rebellions around the world against such misery, authoritarianism and sentencing of the poor people. We are the first to die, be it due to unemployment, sexist violence, low wages, and constant genocide of the retired and the elderly. Not to mention an entire generation of the young which is castigated by precariousness and left without a future.
However, the marginalized of the world rebel in the same way as the Argentinians did on December 2017. Those who have nothing stand in the front, overcoming their fears; it is they, among hundreds of thousands, who unite to resist against the repression of the governments, and that is why there are frontlines and the new political prisoners.
Today, faced with this rebellion of the marginalized, the demand for Sebastián’s liberation is strengthened, and with it, it is once more demonstrated that justice is a mere legal annex of the rich.
Chile, Europe and Hong Kong show us the path. Black lives matter, and that is why the American people also rises, making it clear that we can no longer abide by such misery and oppression.
An ample, unified campaign
The liberation of Sebastián must become a rallying flag along all workers’ and popular demands.
Every organization must join.
In a few days, every human rights organization in Argentina released statements demanding his liberation, including the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the Center of Legal and Social Studies (CELS), the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights (APDH), the Human Rights League, the group of organizations that composes the Meeting for Memory, Truth and Justice, Nora Cortiñas, and an extensive list of others.
Sectors of fighters and workers such as the Subway Workers Union (AGTSyP), the Internal Committee of Bed Time, the workers of Penta, of La Nirva, the textiles, the educations unions such as Mendoza’s SUTE, the SUTEBA oppositions, leaders of the ATEN (Neuquén), social movements, national councilmen of the ruling party such as Juan Carlos Alderete of the PTP, councilmen and legislators of the FITU, social leaders such as Luis D’elia, among others, have already announced their participation.
On the international level, there are uncountable answers from Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Italy, Portugal, and many others.
This is just a demonstration that the campaign can and must be assumed by everybody, that it can become concrete in the worker and popular strugglers, because Sebastián is supported by the fighters, the workers and the poor people.
Everybody who agrees that Justice in the Macri era was manipulated must sign the petition and join the demand for his immediate release, be it in Uruguay, in Argentina, or anywhere.
We are many who want Sebastián free. We will give this campaign form and express this solidarity in concrete actions such as demonstrations at court doors, at embassies, and wherever necessary.
A popular, worker path
Capitalism and its powers are burning, and the peoples’ insurrection tell us that we need a socialist workers’ way out.
The profile of the struggle in which Sebastián is involved, as a GM industrial worker, social leader and a revolutionary, tells us that we must keep on building a new leadership against so many evils. One that synthetizes the struggle for a better world, a socialist world with exploitation and oppression which will come through a social revolution, in an united struggle for socialism, to eradicate the capitalists who brought us to this situation of global collapse.
The PSTU and the IWL-FI are in service of this task, and we fight with all strength we have until we liberate Sebastián and all political prisoners.
June 05, 2020.
[translated by Miki Sayoko]
