Bus strike lifted following release of two drivers

The bus drivers were detained over suspicions they attacked Buenos Aires’ Security Minister Sergio Berni

The bus drivers’ union (UTA) lifted a strike after two of their colleagues were released today. They had been detained and continue under investigation for their alleged involvement in Monday’s violent attack on Buenos Aires province’s security minister, Sergio Berni. 

Bus drivers Jorge Oscar Galiano and Jorge Ezequiel Zerda were detained and their company offices raided on Thursday morning. Galiano and Zerda are under investigation for “attempting against authority” and causing bodily harm to Berni, who was attacked this week at a protest demanding justice for the murder of a fellow bus driver, Daniel Barrientos.

Sixteen bus lines (620, 382, 242, 174, 624, 96, 88, 205, 621, 49, 193, 325, 378, 622, 284, and 218) in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, belonging to the Almafuerte and Nueva Ideal companies, were not circulating because of the strike.

On Monday at dawn Barrientos, a 620 line driver, was shot dead while driving his bus in the neighborhood of Vernazza in Virrey del Pino, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires City. The events remain under investigation, but passengers who were onboard told the press that he was shot by men who boarded the bus to rob passengers right after he started his shift. Two witnesses, a woman and a police officer who were on the bus, are set to testify today — so far, four people have been arrested in the ongoing investigation into Barrientos’ murder.

Barrientos, 65, was only a few days away from retiring and his murder sparked rage among colleagues, who went out on the streets to demand more security. As Berni approached the protest in the neighborhood of Lomas del Mirador, some demonstrators attacked him with shovels, stones, and fists, fracturing his skull and cheekbone.

According to Télam, Berni has pressed charges against the drivers despite initially saying he wouldn’t do so. Previously, Buenos Aires Province’s Justice and Human Rights minister, Julio Alak, also filed a lawsuit against them. 

Their detention was ordered by Buenos Aires City Judge Luisa María Escrich.

The violent raids and detentions, which were broadcast by multiple media outlets, unleashed a wave of complaints among various politicians and public figures, including Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

“I just saw on TV the police operation where one of the bus drivers that savagely attacked Buenos Aires’ Security Minister was detained,” she tweeted. “They tell me it was a joint operation between Buenos Aires City and Buenos Aires Province’s police departments. Were the magnitude of the operation and the treatment they gave the detainee as if he was a drug dealer in his bunker, necessary?”

According to Jorge D’Onofrio, Buenos Aires province’s transport minister, Governor Axel Kicillof will meet with bus drivers, transport companies, and their representatives on Monday to negotiate security measures in a round table discussion. 

— Télam / Buenos Aires Herald

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