Pablo Grillo Case: Justice requests government information on police record gaps

Judicial authorities have asked the government for further details on gaps in police records submitted in the case investigating incidents during a March 12 protest. Photographer Pablo Grillo was severely injured during the demonstration. The case is being handled by Judge María Servini. Police have provided two transcripts of communications between officers on the day of the events. The first transcript, covering midday to evening, had a one-hour gap between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., the time Grillo was hit by a gas grenade casing. The second transcript, submitted recently, contained sections marked "no audio" or "inintelligible" around the time of the incident. Sources familiar with the case indicate the court has requested "greater precision" from the Ministry of Security regarding these incomplete records. This exchange occurs within the broader investigation into all events during the protest, separate from the specific case concerning the attack on Grillo, which has already proceeded to trial. The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), a plaintiff in the case, believes the missing information is intentional. CELS stated that "maneuvers aimed at bogging down the investigation" by federal forces have occurred before. They cited an instance where the Gendarmerie initially withheld information and footage from near the scene where Grillo was shot. In May of last year, the Gendarmerie provided only one of two camera recordings from the protest, claiming the second camera was never activated. The incidents under investigation occurred in front of Congress on the afternoon of March 12.