UN committee says decision on Cristina Fernández de Kirchner case not imminent

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has warned that a decision on former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s challenge to her criminal conviction for corruption in Argentina is not imminent, saying it could take several years to determine whether to admit the case and rule on its merits.

“Given the volume of cases before the Human Rights Committee, a decision on admissibility and the merits of a case usually takes several years. A decision on the case is not imminent,” the body said in response to a query about the former president’s submission, according to news agency EFE, reported by several local outlets.

The statement does not amount to a rejection of Fernández de Kirchner’s complaint. The committee has yet to decide whether to examine her challenge to the six-year prison sentence and lifetime ban on holding public office imposed in the so-called ‘Vialidad’ corruption case, which the Supreme Court upheld in 2025.

Following the UN’s response, Gregorio Dalbón, one of Fernández de Kirchner’s lawyers, confirmed he is seeking interim measures.

“There are two very different issues. One is the question of the merits, which certainly takes time because of the number of cases they have. The other issue, which should not take as long, is the interim measure concerning the lifetime ban,” he said.

Dalbón argued that the prohibition on holding public office violated the former president’s human rights and called for it to be suspended until a final decision was reached. He also 

“What they are doing to CFK is a disguised form of civil death from a political standpoint, through the lifetime ban,” he said.

Fernandez de Kirchner’s legal team is seeking three interim measures from the committee: suspension of the lifetime ban on holding public office, a review of the conditions of her house arrest, and changes to the composition of Argentina’s Supreme Court.

– TIMES/PERFIL