Eugenio Zaffaroni: “The anti-terrorist law is unnecessary in Argentina”

Argentina, December 23, 2011

Eugenio Zaffaroni, Judge and Minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, spoke about the law that the Congress has passed this week, which responds to the will of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to “control money laundering and suppress the financing of terrorism”. The judge said that “it is unnecessary for Argentina” and that “they want to extort us”.

Zaffaroni had an interview with journalists from Radio Nacional of Córdoba, where he said “the FATF wants to legislate against us, which has attributed itself more rights than the United Nations”.

He added “The FATF recommended that this law becomes mandatory, but at some point it may be used by anyone against social protest and against the unions. The country does not need this anti-terrorism law”.

And finally he sentenced “is nonsense (…) the FATF is extorting us so that if we do not approve these laws, we will suffer a financial penalty”.

The Senate approved the law by 39 votes against 22, law that considers “terrorist” those acts committed “with the purpose of terrorizing the population or compel a government or foreign national to perform an act or refrain from doing so”.