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Inmate Influencer’s Pink Birthday Video From Lomas de Zamora Prison Goes Viral, Renewing Scrutiny of Jail Controls

Paola “Malala” Galeano, convicted in 2014 for her role in a 2013 homicide, has built an audience of about 300,000 by posting from inside Penal No. 40.

Overview

  • The self-recorded clip shows a pink-themed celebration inside Penal No. 40 with balloon arches, LED lights, music on speakers and a decorated cake.
  • Her post called it her “last birthday in prison,” noting 12 birthdays behind bars, and reports cite August 31, 2026 as her expected release date.
  • Case records state she accepted an abbreviated trial in 2014 and was convicted as a necessary participant in the killing of Carlos Alberto Gauna during an attempted truck robbery in 2013.
  • In 2016 her defense filed a recurso before the provincial Supreme Court that was rejected, according to the coverage of court documents.
  • The viral images prompted mixed reactions online, from well-wishes to sharp criticism that referenced the victim’s family and questioned cellphone access and oversight in Buenos Aires prisons.