BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The acquittal of 13 people accused in the disappearance of a young woman who was purportedly kidnapped and forced into prostitution for “VIP clients” spread shock Wednesday across Argentina, prompting street protests and calls by political leaders to impeach the three judges who delivered the verdict.
Many called the ruling a setback for Argentina’s efforts to combat sex trafficking, which began largely as a result of Susana Trimarco’s one-woman, decade-long quest to find her missing daughter, Maria de los Angeles “Marita” Veron. Her attorneys said she would pursue appeals.
Trimarco’s search exposed an underworld of organized crime figures who operate brothels with protection from authorities across Argentina.
Security Minister Nilda Garre called the verdict “a tremendous slap in the face for the prospect of justice.”
“It’s not only a reversal for this particular case of the kidnapping and disappearance of Marita Veron ...” but it also “renders invisible the suffering of the victims of human-trafficking networks and sexual exploitation ...”
Front Section, Pages 2 on 12/13/2012