"I am innocent of all the charges against me", were the last words of the pediatrician Ricardo Russo, in the trial that, in November 2019, found him guilty of producing, having and facilitating the distribution of images of child sexual
exploitation
, crime for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the first instance and then Chamber II of the Criminal, Misdemeanor and Misdemeanor Chamber of the City reduced his sentence to 8 and a half years.
Three years and five months have passed since the former head of immunology and rheumatology at Garrahan was imprisoned in the Ezeiza prison and to this day he still thinks the same thing... that he is innocent, that they "operated" on him, that in his case "there were no complaints or victims," say those close to the convicted person with which
Clarín
spoke .
The days in Pavilion 2 "are passing better than at the beginning, when he thought he was "in hell" and could not find "explanations for this nonsense". He is staying "in the least problematic place
of those who could have touched.
He could be much worse, with complicated prisoners related to the sexual offense... In that sense he is calm."
Today he is
"not more used to it, but more adapted to this routine. And he has changed, he is more flexible"
.
He allows himself to do things that at first he didn't want to know anything about ": Russo studies sociology and takes courses in mechanics and computers that allow him to" think less and keep his head busy ".
Russo is 60 years old and if he completes his sentence, he would leave at 65. Without registration, "professionally finished", he knows that he will not be able to practice medicine anymore, "for this reason, since he is very intelligent, he seeks to
have other knowledge
for the day when I'm free and have some tools to earn the handle".
In addition, Russo knows that good behavior and
the sum of courses and workshops -as happened with Amado Boudou- have an influence when placing an order.
November 2019. Pediatrician Ricardo Russo is arrested on the day he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Photo: Maxi Failla
The
pediatrician has an individual cell that he maintains in order and neatness, as they claim he is.
Inside, he has a small table that he uses as a desk and spends long hours writing fiction and reality (the latter about his person).
He would have an autobiographical book ready
in which he reviews his journey through medicine, his international prestige and does not overlook the judicial process that sentenced him and in which he tells the truth about himself.
"He earned a place among the inmates, he is respected,
he never went through an uncomfortable or violent situation. They call him "doctor", many refer to him as you, and in a little notebook he informally put together some clinical histories of the inmates with whom that is contacted the most".
However
, he is quite lonely and stays away from, for example, Jorge Mangeri
(Angeles Rawson's femicide, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015), with whom he sometimes comes across.
Nor is she one of getting together to watch television, "she is never interested in the channel that the majority tunes in to, except when there is soccer... the doctor is a soccer fan."
In general he walks alone, "he always gives the feeling that he is thinking, he is the intellectual of the pavilion".
Ricardo Russo, the pediatrician accused of producing and distributing child pornography, is arrested in May 2019, in the Garrahan parking lot.
He receives a visit from his unconditional wife, Mina, and his two children
,
who supply him "with supermarket purchases" that allow him to have weekly food.
"He keeps packets of noodles, rice, bottles of water, chocolates in his cell. He doesn't eat prison food, he doesn't like it, he prefers to cook, it also distracts him."
Every once in a while, sporadically, a friend shows up to visit him, "although coming here is not easy, the search is heavy."
His mood changes when they go to see him and he appreciates being called on the phone
(he doesn't have a cell phone, there is a phone in the cell block that is not easy to reach), because for a while he feels that he is out of jail.
He likes to listen to the other, it's like he needs to escape from his own thoughts."
The pediatrician is "a reserved person, stuck inside, it's rare to see him nervous or upset."
He generally
transmits strength, he is whole
, "nothing to do with the beginnings, when he looked broken and didn't even leave his cell."
Although he is not a leader, a role that he is not interested in,
he is an intern who is consulted.
Nor does he have
a "victim" position, rather he is angry
because he does not feel guilty and
the outside
does not do much to help him. Although he does not say that he did nothing, he makes it clear. He is one of those who thinks that once you're in here -in jail- you lose all your rights".
Every
chance he gets,
he waves his flag of innocence
.
He reaffirms that he never produced images of child pornography, and that for possession and dissemination, they would be releaseable crimes.
Given the news and complaints that these days involve Marcelo Corazza and Jey Mammon, Russo is not very on topic.
However, he affirms that
he was sentenced to ten years without any victims or denouncers.
"Just because a judge let himself be carried away by what a prosecutor told him."
The judge he is pointing to is Gonzalo Rua, head of the Criminal, Misdemeanor and Misdemeanor Court No. 6 of the city of Buenos Aires, while the prosecutor is Daniela Dupuy, head of the specialized cybercrime unit and the one who was in charge of the investigation: Russo was accused of
having distributed 336 videos of child sexual exploitation
provided through the Emule network, of possession for the unequivocal purpose of distributing 964 photos and 68 videos of children under 13 years of age engaging in explicit sexual activities.
Russo is not one of those inmates who says what they will do the day he is released.
"He is not looking forward to that day, rather he is realistic, he knows that there is a long way to go, but he has already
covered more than a third and perhaps he can obtain a permit tomorrow
. But he does not look desperate, at least he does not show it. your reputation, maybe you are afraid of the other's look or fear of rejection.
PS
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