Kirchner Begins Her House Arrest: ‘Can I Go Out to My Balcony or Not?’
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“We will return stronger”: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner speaks from house arrest
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption. The former president was also banned from holding public office for life. Supporters of the Peronist party say she is being persecuted by the state. The court upheld the sentence just a week after she announced her return to active politics, planning the September elections. “They believe that with the legal war, Peronism will remain silent and lose, but, unfortunately for them, it will win and return,” says one protester. “This conviction only serves to reaffirm our identity, our love for our country and for Peronists doctrine,” says another protester, Carla Paz, a 43-year-old protester. The national legislative elections will be held in October, which will determine the composition of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and governability, until now often based on presidential decrees.
This Wednesday, tens of thousands of people filled Buenos Aires’ Plaza de Mayo. in a resounding show of support for the former president, who spoke via a recorded audio that was broadcast in the plaza.
Aside from tearing down the economic model of Milei’s government – which “will fall, not only because it is unjust and inequitable, but fundamentally because it is unsustainable,” he said – Kirchner has insisted up to three times that they will return (referring to personalism while: with more wisdom, followers became excited –. We have people, we have memory, we have history and we have a homeland.” “We will return, a thousand times, as has been done since the depths of history,” he insisted, and concluded: “The people, in the end, always return.”
Peronism unites despite internal differences
If in recent months a certain lack of unity and internal direction was sensed, Peronist militants are now clear that imprisoning their leader will only strengthen the movement ahead of the upcoming elections: the national legislative elections will be held in October, which will determine the composition of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and governability, until now often based on presidential decrees. “This conviction only serves to reaffirm our identity, our love for our country and for Peronist doctrine,” Carla Paz, a 43-year-old protester, told ARA, since “Cristina represents the dignity of the working class.”
On the streets, many remember the 12 years of Kirchnerism—one government under the late Néstor Kirchner and two under Cristina, between 2003 and 2015—as “the best years” in Argentina’s recent history. The concept of “dignity” for the working classes is repeated, enabling leisure time, savings, and a certain financial leeway for the majority, as well as a significant investment in education, with the creation of public universities throughout the country, and the granting of retirement benefits to thousands of people who hadn’t contributed due to working in the informal sector; a measure that benefited, above all, women who had worked as housewives or domestic workers.
Activists are convinced that Kirchner’s case is comparable to that of Lula da Silva in Brazil: also accused of corruption, he was imprisoned for 580 days only to have his sentence later overturned by the same courts. “Because he was imprisoned, Lula was excluded from the elections,” says another protester, Miguel Ramírez, also 43. “But he won the next one.” “They believe that with the legal war, Peronism will remain silent and lose, but, unfortunately for them, it will win and return,” adds Pablo Monticelli, a 65-year-old retiree, who accuses the justice system of acting under the interests of the powers that be: “Why don’t they speak out on the open cases of former President Mauricio?”
Constitutional lawyer Pedro Kesselman, who was part of the reform of the constitution in 1994, says he feels “ashamed” for a judiciary that “invents cases”: “I have read the process and it is all a great construction,” he says. Despite not declaring himself a Peronist, the jurist defends the backbone of Kirchnerist governments: “social justice,” which he emphasizes “is a constitutional imposition since 1994.” The highest law in the country “obliges Congress to enact economic laws that benefit the people” and, in this sense, Kesselman considers that the Milei government is currently, “violating the Constitution.”
Cristina Kirchner Begins House Arrest as Supporters Rally in Buenos Aires
Cristina Kirchner is serving a six-year sentence for public corruption. Her supporters say the sentence is politically motivated. The ruling was upheld by the Argentine Supreme Court last week. The case is expected to be heard in court in the coming weeks, with the possibility of a retrial. The judge’s decision is likely to be appealed by the ruling’s supporters.
Kirchner remains one of Argentina’s most influential figures, despite being a polarizing force. Her leftist populist style stands in sharp contrast to the policies of current libertarian President Javier Milei. While Kirchner claims the charges are politically motivated, many of her loyal supporters believe the ruling was aimed at preventing her from running in future elections.
Demonstrators chanted and waved banners reading “Always with Cristina,” underscoring her enduring popularity among Peronist voters. “They knew she could beat them,” said Laura Abal, 66, a protester, expressing frustration over what she views as a politically charged conviction.
Despite having just 20% voter support in recent polls, Kirchner continues to wield considerable influence over the Peronist movement, which has dominated Argentine politics for decades. Some analysts suggest that her house arrest could boost her political image, casting her as a martyr and allowing her to influence opposition strategy from her apartment.
In a post on X, Kirchner joked, “Can I go out on my balcony or not?”—hinting at the potential for public appearances that may violate her court-ordered restrictions.
Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni acknowledged the ruling, stating, “The arrest of a former president is not pleasant for any democracy,” but welcomed the enforcement of justice.
House arrest for CFK – 10 keys from the court ruling
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner will serve her six-year prison sentence under house arrest. The 72-year-old has also been slapped with a lifelong ban from public office. The court took into consideration the age (72) of the ex-president but also her state of health, her role a former head of state and especially the risks implied by the assassination attempt suffered in 2022. A list of the persons authorised to enter the flat, including family, lawyers and doctors, must be presented. The Dirección de Control y Asistencia de Ejecución Penal supervisory board will carry out controls every three months.
Fernández de Kirchner, 72, has also been slapped with a lifelong ban from public office.
The court ruling, issued Tuesday, contains various key elements which explain the scope, conditions and legal context of this decision.
How served: Cristina Kirchner will have to serve her sentence detained under house arrest in her flat, address San José 1111, 2° piso, apartment “D” in the Constitución neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. Electronic ankle monitor: The court has ordered an electronic ankle monitor to be placed on Fernández de Kirchner for control purposes, as established by Law 24,660. The detained person may not dispense with the use of this device without a technical report to justify it. Prohibitions and rules of behaviour: No exit from dwelling without prior judicial authorisation, except in cases of force majeure. No actions which might alter the calm of the neighbourhood. A list of the persons authorised to enter the flat, including family, lawyers and doctors, must be presented. Quarterly supervision: The Dirección de Control y Asistencia de Ejecución Penal supervisory board will carry out controls every three months and report to the court on whether the conditions imposed are being heeded. Reasons to grant this benefit: The court took into consideration the age (72) of the ex-president but also her state of health, her role a former head of state and especially the risks implied by the assassination attempt suffered in 2022, which is still under judicial investigation. Rejection of any privileges corresponding to an ex-president: The ruling underlines that there is no “special régime” for ex-presidents and that Federal Police custody does not replace the prison system nor supervise how sentences are served. Solitary confinement ruled out: The court pointed out that convicts cannot be isolated indefinitely to protect them and that this would be contrary to constitutional and international norms regarding humanitarian treatment. Opposition from the prosecutors: The prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola requested that the request for house arrest be rejected on the understanding that the humanitarian reasons are insufficient and the Penitentiary Service can guarantee her safety. Duration of sentence: The ex-president was sentenced to six years in prison to be served in full, House arrest does not suspend the sentence being served but substitutes it for exceptional reasons. Court confirmation of the sentence: The ruling was signed by the judges Jorge Gorini, Rodrigo Giménez Uriburu and Andrés Basso, who further ordered the summons to appear in person at the courthouse to be relinquished.
This decision marks the start of the period in which the sentence is to be served.
Tens of thousands rally in support of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner began serving a six-year sentence for fraud under house arrest. Large crowds gathered at the iconic Plaza de Mayo square and spilled into surrounding streets. Protesters sang and beat drums, waving national flags and banners with messages such as “The motherland is not for sale” Her backers have been holding a vigil outside her home in the Constitution neighbourhood of Buenos Aires since the Supreme Court last week upheld her conviction and sentence for “fraudulent administration” While president, along with a lifelong ban on her holding public office. She rose to prominence as part of a political power couple with her late husband Néstor Kir chner, who preceded her as president. After two terms at the helm herself between 2007 and 2015, she served as vice-president from 2019 to 2023 in the last Peronist administration.
Large crowds gathered at the iconic Plaza de Mayo square and spilled into surrounding streets for a demonstration called by the Partido Justicialista (PJ), the main Peronist political party of which Fernández de Kirchner serves as national chair.
Under the slogan “Argentina with Cristina,” protesters sang and beat drums, waving national flags and banners with messages such as “The motherland is not for sale.”
A spokesperson for Fernández de Kirchner’s press team told the AFP news agency they estimated “more than half a million” people were present though government estimates were significantly lower.
“We came because it’s an attack on democracy to outlaw someone like Cristina who the people want to vote for,” said Rocio Gavino, a 29-year-old state worker.
Fernández de Kirchner’s backers have been holding a vigil outside her home in the Constitution neighbourhood of Buenos Aires since the Supreme Court last week upheld her conviction and sentence for “fraudulent administration” while president, along with a lifelong ban on her holding public office.
On Tuesday, a court ruled she could serve her six-year sentence at home, though she will be required to wear an electronic bracelet.
She will be allowed limited visits, principally from family members, lawyers and doctors.
“We’re here because the national government, together with the Judiciary, decided to ban Cristina from standing in the elections,” said Federico Mochi, a Peronist activist marching in Buenos Aires carrying a large flag bearing the faces of Juan Domingo Perón and his wife Evita.
Juan Peracibe, a 70-year-old retiree who travelled 350 kilometres to attend the rally, said the sentence had reawakened the Peronist movement. “I think what they’ve done is wake the lion,” he said.
In 2022, Fernández de Kirchner’s conviction sparked demonstrations in several cities, some of which ended in clashes with police. It also coincided with a failed assassination attempt. An attacker attempted to fire a weapon at her head at point-blank range, though the gun misfired.
Fernández de Kirchner and her backers claim the judicial case was a plot to end her career and unravel her legacy of protectionist economics and social programmes.
She rose to prominence as part of a political power couple with her late husband Néstor Kirchner, who preceded her as president.
After two terms at the helm herself between 2007 and 2015, she served as vice-president from 2019 to 2023 in the last Peronist administration before the presidency of libertarian Javier Milei, of whose austerity policies she has been a vocal critic.
According to Lara Goyburu, a political scientist at the University of Buenos Aires, the rally was largely limited to Fernández de Kirchner’s Peronist base, in contrast to broader protests against Milei’s government.
“Today’s march shows the Peronist movement still has some street mobilisation capacity. What we don’t see in this protest is the broad-based participation we saw in others, like the university march,” she said.
Still, leftist parties joined the rally with their own columns – a rare gesture of support for a Peronist leader.
– TIMES/AFP
Thousands march in Buenos Aires as ex-President Kirchner starts house arrest
Argentina’s Supreme Court last week upheld a 2022 conviction against Kirchner related to a fraud scheme involving public projects in the southern Patagonia region. That also included a lifetime ban from holding public political office. Supporters from her Peronist movement took to the streets with flares, giant posters with her image, and banners saying “Always With Cristina” She still holds huge sway over the opposition Peronists, Argentina’s dominant political bloc in the last half century. Some analysts say the detention could, though boost her image by making her a political martyr, adding she could potentially exercise influence from her Buenos Aires apartment.
Reuters
Tens of thousands of Argentines marched in the streets of Buenos Aires on Wednesday, banging drums and chanting in a show of support for ex-president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as she started a six-year sentence under house arrest for corruption.
Kirchner, a two-term president from 2007-2015, is the country’s most prominent politician in recent decades, though her leftist brand of populism sharply divides opinion. She is the nemesis of current libertarian President Javier Milei.
Supporters of Argentina’s former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner demonstrate after an Argentine judge approved her request to serve out her six-year prison sentence for corruption at home, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 18th June, 2025. PICTURE: Reuters/Matias Baglietto
Supporters from her Peronist movement took to the streets with flares, giant posters with her image, and banners saying “Always With Cristina”, a reflection of how she retains popular backing with her core supporter base. Kirchner, 72, claims the allegations against her are politically driven.
“It was what they needed to get rid of her, so she wouldn’t be in the [election] running. They knew she could beat them,” said Laura Abal, 66, a pedicurist who took part in the march, referring to Kirchner’s foiled plans to run as a local lawmaker.
Kirchner has some 20 per cent voter support, polls show, though is opposed by many who recall her interventionist policies. She still holds huge sway over the opposition Peronists, Argentina’s dominant political bloc in the last half century.
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Argentina’s Supreme Court last week upheld a 2022 conviction against Kirchner related to a fraud scheme involving public projects in the southern Patagonia region. That also included a lifetime ban from holding public political office.
Some analysts say the detention could, though boost her image by making her a political martyr, adding she could potentially exercise influence from her Buenos Aires apartment where the judge ordered that she serve out her sentence due to her age.
“Can I go out on my balcony or not?” Fernández humorously asked on Wednesday on the social network X, a reference to how she could rouse the crowds in the streets below in potential violation of court orders not to cause disruption.
Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni on Wednesday avoided crowing over the sentence, though hailed the fact that “justice” had prevailed.
“The arrest of a former President is not pleasant for any democracy, although, of course, it is a source of joy that justice exists and puts some things right,” he said.
– Additional reporting by MIGUEL LO BIANCO AND HORACIO SORIA