MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay: Alleged “operation” against Yamandú Orsi sparks controversy amid assault allegations

Orsi has stated his intention to face the judicial process initiated by the Prosecutor's Office rather than filing a complaint for defamation and slander.

The campaign manager for Frente Amplio presidential pre-candidate Yamandú Orsi, Francisco Legnani, has raised concerns over what he calls an orchestrated “operation” against the Uruguayan politician following an alleged assault that occurred in 2014 against a trans woman who filled a complaint this week.

“We detected that 1,000 Twitter accounts from abroad, recently created without followers, were interacting with this issue,” Legnani revealed, hinting at a possible coordinated effort to tarnish Orsi's image.

Legnani refrained from directly accusing any political party but highlighted the sudden surge in online activity surrounding the assault allegations, suggesting a broader campaign at play.

In turn, Legnani recalled the threat that Papasso denounced before the Prosecutor's Office a day after she published the video in which she accused Orsi. “I don't know where the threat denounced by the promoter of the attack on Sunday came from, [nor] if it came from a cell phone from abroad as well”, he expressed in an interview with Arriba gente program from Channel 10.

Meanwhile, Orsi has stated his intention to face the judicial process initiated by the Prosecutor's Office rather than filing a complaint for defamation and slander.

Read also: Trans woman formally accuses Uruguayan presidential candidate Yamandú Orsi of physical assault

Responding to Orsi's denial of the allegations, Romina Celeste Papasso, the National Party trans militant who made the initial accusations, criticized the inconsistency of Frente Amplio's support for Orsi.

Papasso drew parallels between Orsi's case and a previous incident involving National Party's senator Gustavo Penadés, in jail since October and who faces criminal charges for the alleged sexual exploitation of minors, in addition to abuse and rape. Papasso perceives Orsi's and Penades' cases as unwavering support from political elites despite allegations against them.

In a video posted on Twitter, Papasso questioned Orsi's denial and condemned the political establishment's response to the allegations, emphasizing the vulnerability of the accuser in contrast to the political power wielded by Orsi.