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Lilia Lemoine Summoned to Testify in Buenos Aires Probe Over Alleged Abuse of 12-Year-Old Activist

The May 28 questioning advances a case that tests how Argentina enforces protections for minors with disabilities in public debate.

Overview

  • - Prosecutor Hernán Biglino set an in-person questioning for May 28 at the city’s PCyF No. 39 office after opening a contraventional case that began with a complaint from deputy Marcela Pagano.
  • - The probe examines whether Lemoine committed the offense of “maltrato” by saying on TV and on X that Ian Moche was made to “act autistic” and by attacking his mother, Marlene Spesso.
  • - Records cited by the family’s lawyer state that Argentina’s disability agency issued Moche a valid certificate confirming autism spectrum condition, which undercuts claims that his diagnosis was staged.
  • - Biglino rejected several evidence requests from Lemoine’s defense and postponed a challenge to the mother’s legal standing to a later hearing, while the defense seeks judicial review of the prosecutor’s actions.
  • - If the offense is proven, penalties can include community work, a fine, or up to five days in custody, though detention would not apply to a sitting deputy, and a separate bid to sanction her in Congress remains pending.