Rio court revokes preventive detention of Argentine woman accused of racism

The Rio de Janeiro Court revoked late Friday afternoon (6) the preventive detention of Argentine lawyer and influencer Agostina Paez, who was being investigated for racist offenses against employees of a bar in Ipanema, in the South Zone of the capital. The release occurred hours after the warrant was served, and Paez left custody in the early evening.

The arrest had been ordered by the 37th Criminal Court of Rio and carried out in the morning, when the accused was located in a rented apartment in Vargem Pequena, in the West Zone.

According to police records, on January 14, the lawyer started an argument after an impasse over paying the bill at the establishment. One of the employees reported being the target of racist insults. According to the investigation, the tourist pointed her finger at the worker, used the word “mono” — a term in Spanish associated with “monkey” — and started imitating the animal’s gestures and sounds.

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The offenses were recorded on video by the victim himself and corroborated by images from security cameras. The Civil Police reported that they collected statements from witnesses and gathered elements considered sufficient to reconstruct the dynamics of the facts.

The day before her arrest, Paez published a video on social media stating that she had been notified as a flight risk, that she was wearing an ankle bracelet and was available to the authorities.

In the defense presented in the case, the accused maintains that the gestures were “jokes” directed at friends, a version that is contested by the investigation based on the images analyzed.

The revocation of the arrest does not end the case. The investigation remains ongoing, under secrecy, with the maintenance of precautionary measures already determined by the Court.

With information from Agência Brasil