After the gathering, locro (a traditional Argentine stew) included, the event became living proof of what Cooperativa Liberté is and what it means, made possible thanks to the in-person format achieved.
Visit to Batán Prison
Mid-morning on July 9, the national holiday commemorating independence, guests began arriving at Batán Prison, where our Liberté space is located, and were welcomed by Pampa and Carlos, president and secretary of the organization.
Among those who attended were María Jimena Monsalve, National Judge of Criminal Enforcement (Jueza Nacional de Ejecución Penal); Roberto Conti, judge of the Tribunal en lo Criminal N° 7 of Lomas de Zamora; Ileana Olivas, Justice of the Peace of the Juzgado de La Calera, Córdoba province; Judge Mariana Iriani, of the Juzgado de Responsabilidad Penal Juvenil N°1 and the Tribunal Criminal N°4 of Mar del Plata; Alberto Bavestrello, manager of the Federación Argentina de Cooperativas de Crédito (a founding member of Cooperativa Liberté); Victoria Alcoba, Chief of Staff of the Sub-Secretaría de Asuntos Penitenciarios (Deputy Secretariat of Penitentiary Affairs), under the Ministerio de Justicia de la Nación (National Ministry of Justice); psychologist Marisa Pombo, who works at the Ministerio de Justicia de la Nación (Penitentiary Affairs); Any Acevedo, a lawyer and dialogue facilitator in contexts of imprisonment within the program “Probemos hablando” (“Let's Try Talking”); the businessman and permanent collaborator with our space, Andrés Castagno; psychologist Dr. Ricardo Augman, who works at the Procuraduría Penitenciaria de la Nación (National Penitentiary Ombudsman's Office) and takes part in the program “Marcos de Paz”; Diana Márquez, lawyer and notary, president of the organization Víctimas por la Paz (Victims for Peace); Aime Silva, secretary of the Juzgado de Lomas de Zamora; Josefina Ignacio, commissioner of the Comité Nacional para la Prevención contra la Tortura (National Committee for the Prevention of Torture); lawyer Jimena Falco, who works at the Unidad de Letrados Móviles 1 de Ejecución de CABA (DGN); accountant Graciela Binztein; officials of the Servicio Penitenciario Bonaerense (SPB) serving at this prison, representing the provincial head of the Penitentiary Service, Dr. Xavier Areses; the head of the Complex, Astete, was also present; as well as public defenders from the city of Morón. Also lending a hand were chef Patricio — a person formerly in a situation of imprisonment — and a chef friend, Julián, from the city of Necochea, along with Alfredo Medvedef, Bautista de Necochea and Cecilia Garzón.
Lunch and a Space Under Construction
The hall where lunch was served — a tasty locro (a traditional Argentine stew) — is a space under construction between Víctimas por la Paz and Liberté called “Punto de Paz” (“Point of Peace”), which is meant to operate as a classic restaurant for visitors, staff, and people in a situation of imprisonment.
A Tour of Liberté's Areas
The day also included a tour of Liberté's different areas: the leatherwork and crafts workshop and the plant laboratory, both located in the medium-security workshop area, where the “most beautiful mural in the world” can be found; and, in the sector with the largest number of productive units, visitors were able to see the organic garden, the henhouse, the general store, the carpentry shop, the greenhouse, the rotisserie, and other sections such as the apiary, the library, and the textile room, among others, where they witnessed not only the growth but also the daily effort of those who work in this now-cooperative space.
Recognition and Outlook
The visitors, from their different backgrounds, agreed on the growth of the cooperative sector and of Liberté as an institution within a prison, which makes the progress achieved so far all the more remarkable — a situation they encouraged replicating in other prisons, on the path toward transformation.
Tribute to Mario Juliano
The figure of Judge Mario Juliano, who has passed away, came up in almost every conversation of the day, and Liberté remembers him as the main driving force behind this happy idea, without losing sight of its roots — in the context of a genesis in which the needs of people in a situation of imprisonment were what sought a chance to reconnect with dignity.
Liberté's Legacy and Future
Today Liberté is a cooperative, but it is also an example that many wish to follow in pursuit of personal growth from within their situation of confinement, so as to live with dignity and prepare for the recovery of their freedom.
Source: Liberté
