The Minister of Defense, Luis Alfonso Petri, assured today that the Government will be “relentless” with those responsible for the baptism with quicklime carried out on volunteer Army soldiers in Córdoba, in which several suffered burns to the esophagus and lungs. Furthermore, the official did not rule out dismissing those responsible.
“The disciplinary process that is required in these cases has been initiated and 11 people have been suspended. The maximum sanctions will be taken against those responsible, beyond any criminal sanctions that may be applicable. Let’s be relentless“said the minister.
In that sense, the force confirmed that those suspended are a chief officer, two junior officers, six non-commissioned officers and two volunteer soldiers.
In dialogue with journalist Eduardo Feinmann on Radio Mitre, Petri highlighted that “the vast majority of the members of the force carry out an exemplary task,” and recalled the humanitarian work they carried out recently in Brazil, Salta or in Patagonia during the snowfall.
The minister also said that the rule prohibiting such actions will be changed since, despite being sanctioned in 2022 by his predecessor in office Jorge Taiana, he stated that it was done “in a hurry” due to the death of soldier Matías Chirino in Corrientes, that it was only “simply to get out of the way” and that the members of the force were never informed.
When asked if those responsible for the incident could be expelled from the Army, he said that “this will be determined by the disciplinary process,” but that it is “hardly possible that it was a mistake” and that “must be severely punished.”
“If appropriate, they will be discharged. All appropriate measures will be adopted as established by the disciplinary council. Due legal process must be followed,” he stressed.
On May 17, 35 volunteer soldiers from the Army were subjected in Córdoba to a brutal initiation ritual after completing a parachuting course: the “celebration” ceremony, which was recorded on video, resulted in burns to the esophagus and lungs and several young people hospitalized.
The case shocked the province. Everything happened while the members of the 14th Parachute Regiment of the Third Army Corps Córdoba They celebrated the progress in their training. “Have between 20 and 25 years. There were 35 people. ‘Parachutist’, they shouted at them. And they had to respond ‘always’,” said the lawyer for the complainants. Jerome Arganraz to Infobae.
“While they kept their mouths open, they were given this talcum powder that, in principle, should have been flour and ended up being lime. In contact with moisture from the eyes, mucus from the nose and so on, lime is activated and this produces extreme burning that can cause very serious consequences,” the lawyer described.
He also pointed out that this is not about “injuries” but rather “suffering.” “Many people tell me: ‘I used to be able to run 25 kilometers, and today, at kilometer 5, I can’t take it anymore. Before I had no problem, no condition and now I don’t give any more“,” he revealed about the consequences that the burns caused to the health of the young people.
According to Argañaraz, many of those affected initially refused to file a complaint for fear of reprisals and the actions of the army’s high command. “The victims have not wanted to take an active part in the beginning of the investigation so as not to be implicated,” he stressed.
The initiation ritual is not new and, according to the lawyer, the soldiers participated involuntarily: “An order was issued to do that. Imagine that it is impossible to refuse to undergo such a baptism. “This circumstance is unacceptable in the Army.”
And he concluded: “Supplying 35 people, one next to the other, with this lime powder… I find it very hard to believe that this was negligent. There is one of the boys who stops and starts vomiting, others coughing, complaining and nauseous, and you keep throwing flour at them? And yet, they maintain the behavior of throwing lime in each of their faces. “It seems crazy to me.”
