MDS Denounces Use of Sick Elderly as 'Shields' for Personal Gain

Paraguay's Ministry of Social Development (MDS) has strongly condemned the exploitation of elderly and sick individuals as "human shields" during a street protest. The ministry denounced organizers, particularly leader Elías Cabral, for exposing vulnerable seniors to danger for personal gain. The protest, which has lasted over 60 days outside the MDS, reached a crisis point following the hospitalization and subsequent arrest of a 90-year-old demonstrator wanted for alleged child sexual abuse.

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The Ministry of Social Development (MDS) repudiated the utilization of elderly adults in a street protest led by Elías Cabral.

The situation deteriorated due to extreme medical emergencies, including cases of severe hypertension and general decompensation, exacerbated by cold weather and precarious conditions within a makeshift protest camp. The MDS affirmed its refusal to tolerate political blackmail that jeopardizes the health of unprotected seniors. The ministry emphasized that any health issues faced by the protesters are a direct consequence of abandonment by their own leaders.

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The ministry ratified that it will not tolerate political blackmail at the expense of the health of unprotected grandparents.

The immediate trigger for intervention by law enforcement was the medical emergency of Bernabé Garay Medina, 90, who suffered a severe hypertensive crisis and required urgent hospitalization. It was discovered that Garay Medina, a fugitive accused of child sexual abuse, was participating in the protest. This revelation has led to legal repercussions for the protest organizers.

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The alleged pederast fugitive was camouflaged among the protesters as just another striker.

Elías Cabral, along with collaborators Rodrigo Piatti and Pedro Ismael Ferreira, has been formally charged with endangerment and abandonment. The MDS has distanced the government from any responsibility for the protesters' health problems and is demanding exemplary punishment for those profiting from the vulnerability of the elderly. The government holds Cabral directly accountable for any future medical complications arising from the protest site.

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The Ministry of Social Development disassociated the Government of Paraguay from any responsibility for the health problems that the strikers may suffer.