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Paraguayan judge sanctioned for social media conduct violating ethics code
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Paraguayan judge sanctioned for social media conduct violating ethics code

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A Paraguayan judge, Dina Marchuk Santacruz, has been sanctioned for violating four articles of the Judicial Ethics Code due to controversial social media posts.
  • The Judicial Ethics Tribunal recommended that she refrain from similar conduct, issuing the mildest possible sanction.
  • The controversy began when Marchuk commented on a news post criticizing a Supreme Court ruling, leading to online backlash and further defiant posts from the judge.

Paraguayan Judge Dina Marchuk Santacruz faces a reprimand after the Judicial Ethics Tribunal found she violated four articles of the Judicial Ethics Code through her conduct on social media. The tribunal issued its resolution, N° 3/2026, concluding that the judge engaged in a public controversy in June that contravened ethical standards.

Without cryinggggg please and let's talk with legal arguments!

— Dina Marchuk SantacruzThe judge's initial comment on a social media post criticizing a Supreme Court ruling.

The tribunal, acting on its own initiative, comprises Miryam Peña Candia, Antonia Irigoitia Zárate, María Lilia Pussineri, Edgar Riffler, and Raúl Gómez Frutos. They sanctioned Marchuk with a recommendation to avoid repeating the "shameful conduct" that prompted their intervention. This is the least severe sanction available under the code, which also allows for a formal warning or a reprimand.

The incident began when Marchuk commented on an ABC Color publication that echoed criticism from former senator Kattya González regarding a Supreme Court ruling. Marchuk's comment, "Without cryinggggg please and let's talk with legal arguments!", aimed to counter the ex-senator's critique. However, it quickly drew sharp reactions from social media users who questioned a judge's propriety in making such public statements.

Should a judge issue opinions of this type? I hope you never win a shortlist again, because you leave much to be desired.

— Unidentified social media userA response to Judge Marchuk's comment, questioning her conduct.

Online commenters responded with criticism, with some stating, "Should a judge issue opinions of this type?" and "I hope you never win a shortlist again, because you leave much to be desired." Marchuk escalated the situation by posting her law degree and defiant messages like "For you crybaby!!!" and reiterating "without crying." The Consultative Council later noted that her chosen method "degraded the message."

For you crybaby!!!

— Dina Marchuk SantacruzA defiant message posted by the judge after facing criticism.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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