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🇺🇾 Uruguay /Elections & Politics

Camy challenges Valverde over remarks about Larrañaga: “The undersecretary is a woman; otherwise, we might have settled it differently”

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Senator Carlos Camy criticized Interior Ministry Undersecretary Gabriela Valverde for remarks linking a previous police policy to suicides, institutional violence and mental-health problems.
  • Camy demanded that Valverde apologize, while making a remark suggesting he might have responded differently if she were a man.
  • Valverde apologized again and said her comments had been taken out of context; the committee treated the dispute as concluded.

A dispute over comments about the late former Interior Minister Jorge Larrañaga erupted during Uruguay’s budget-account hearings, with Senator Carlos Camy demanding an apology from Undersecretary Gabriela Valverde.

Camy, a National Party senator and close associate of Larrañaga, quoted Valverde as saying that the previous government’s “don’t ease up” policy had contributed to police suicides, institutional violence, mental-health problems and problematic substance use. He said the claims were inaccurate and asked her to apologize out of respect for Larrañaga, who died in May 2021 and could not defend himself.

I want to take advantage of the presence of the ministry’s highest authorities, because the undersecretary said the following: ‘The order not to ease up encouraged negative aspects in the police.’

· Carlos CamyThe senator cited Valverde’s remarks while demanding an apology during the budget-account hearing.

Camy then referred to Valverde’s gender, saying: “As the undersecretary is a woman, she is a lady, I will leave it there and in these terms, because if it had been another case, perhaps we would have resolved it differently; those who cannot defend themselves are defended by their friends.” The remark prompted murmurs in the room.

As the undersecretary is a woman, she is a lady, I will leave it there and in these terms, because if it had been another case, perhaps we would have resolved it differently; those who cannot defend themselves are defended by their friends.

· Carlos CamyCamy made the comment while defending the late former minister Jorge Larrañaga.

Broad Front Senator Bettiana Díaz said the governing coalition had tried to preserve a constructive atmosphere in the committee and objected to personal remarks during the budget discussion. She said the issue should be addressed in coordination talks.

Valverde apologized again, as she had previously done in public. She said her remarks had been fragmented and taken out of context from a private conversation, but added that she was sorry if her words caused anyone pain, annoyance or offense. The matter was then treated as finished.

As I said in a public outlet, my words were taken out of context and fragmented in that report.

· Gabriela ValverdeValverde repeated her explanation and apology before the committee.
About this summary

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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