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Diana Beatriz Conti (29 March 1956 – 8 March 2024) was an Argentine lawyer and politician. She was a member of the
Argentine National Congress The National Congress of Argentina () is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, a third of whose members are elected to ...
both as a National Deputy (1997–1999; 2005–2017) and as a
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
(2002–2005); she also served as Undersecretary of Human Rights in the administration of
Fernando de la Rúa Fernando de la Rúa (15 September 19379 July 2019) served as the President of Argentina from 1999 until his resignation in 2001. A member of the Radical Civic Union, he previously served as national senator for Buenos Aires across non-consecuti ...
from 1999 to 2001 and as a member of the Council of Magistracy (appointed by the Chamber of Deputies) from 2006 to 2010, where she rose to prominence as a staunch supporter of President
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (; born 19 February 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK, is an Argentine lawyer and former politician who served as the 56th president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015, and later as the 37th Vice ...
's judicial reform proposals. A longtime supporter of Fernández de Kirchner and the late
Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner Ostoić (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Justicialist Party, he previously served as Governor of Sa ...
, Conti was the leader of the Victory Party, a founding member of the
Kirchnerist Kirchnerism ( ) is an Argentine political movement based on ideals formed by the supporters of spouses Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who consecutively served as Presidents of Argentina. Although considered a branch of Peron ...
coalition
Front for Victory The Front for Victory (, FPV) was a centre-left Peronist electoral alliance in Argentina, and is formally a faction of the Justicialist Party. Former presidents Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were elected as representatives ...
and later part of the
Frente de Todos The Frente de Todos (translated as "Everyone's Front") was a centre-left political coalition of political parties in Argentina formed to support President Alberto Fernández and Vice President Cristina Kirchner. Fernández won the 2019 gen ...
.


Early years

Conti was born in 1956 in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
; her father, Horacio Conti, was a travelling salesman, while her mother, Martha Bascuas, was an English teacher. Throughout high school she was an active member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (PCR). Conti studied
social psychology Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...
at the Pichon-Rivière School and worked as a volunteer at
Hospital Borda The Hospital Interdisciplinario Psicoasistencial José Tiburcio Borda (alternate: Municipal Hospital of José Tiburcio Borda; nickname: El Borda) is the largest and most notable psychiatric hospital in Argentina. Situated on , El Borda is located ...
, then going on to study law at the
University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...
, where she received her ''
licenciatura A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. The Licentiate (Pontifical Degree) is a post graduate degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universit ...
'' in 1980. She later set up her own law firm.


Career


Work in the judiciary

Conti became the justice minister's cabinet helper in 1991. She held various administrative positions in Buenos Aires until 1994, when she left for Santa Fe, where she worked as Eugenio Raul Zaffaroni's legal helper for one month. She got a job on 16 March of that year as the
University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...
' penal rights and criminology department's secretary, so traveling between Buenos Aires and Santa Fe daily became a burden to Conti, who decided to quit her job in Santa Fe after only one month working there.


Early political career

Conti was appointed undersecretary of human rights on 12 December 1997, prompting her to forgo her job at Buenos Aires University to concentrate on her new post. On 26 December 2001, she stepped down from that position, aiming to become undersecretary for institutional reform and national strengthening of democracy in Argentina (part of the Cabinet Chief's Office), position to which she was appointed on 23 January 2002. At the 2001 legislative election, Conti ran for a seat in the National Senate representing
Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
in the
Frepaso The Front for a Country in Solidarity ( or ) was a center-left political coalition in Argentina. Its leading figures were José Octavio Bordón, Carlos "Chacho" Álvarez and Graciela Fernández Meijide. History The coalition was formed in 19 ...
ticket alongside former president
Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (; 12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after the 7-yea ...
; the Frepaso list came second, and so only Alfonsín was elected to office. However, in June 2002, the former president stepped down from his Senate seat, prompting Conti to leave the undersecretariat and take Alfonsín's vacant seat in the Senate. Despite having run on the Frepaso ticket, Conti remained aligned to the
Justicialist Party The Justicialist Party (, ; abbr. PJ) is a major political party in Argentina, and the largest branch within Peronism. Following the 2023 presidential election, it has been the largest party in the opposition against President Javier Milei. Fo ...
government of
Eduardo Duhalde Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (; born 5 October 1941) is an Argentina, Argentine former peronist politician who served as the interim President of Argentina from January 2002 to May 2003. He also served as Vice President of Argentina, Vice President ...
while in the Senate until 2003, when she joined the newly formed
Front for Victory The Front for Victory (, FPV) was a centre-left Peronist electoral alliance in Argentina, and is formally a faction of the Justicialist Party. Former presidents Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were elected as representatives ...
of president
Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner Ostoić (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Justicialist Party, he previously served as Governor of Sa ...
. Upon joining the new front, she joined the newly created Partido de la Victoria, or Victory Party, which has been allied to all
Kirchnerist Kirchnerism ( ) is an Argentine political movement based on ideals formed by the supporters of spouses Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who consecutively served as Presidents of Argentina. Although considered a branch of Peron ...
political alliances formed ever since. In December 2005, she was elected a deputy for
Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
for the Front for Victory and was also known for several corruption acts as a member of the government. On 4 February 2010, while she was defending Cristina Kirchner presidency a journalist—Jose Eliaschev—told her that the argument she was using remember the ones used by Russian dictator Josef Stalin, and she said "yes, I have no problem to be a Stalinist", and the journalist insisted "you are a supporter of one of the biggest murderers of 20th century, 20 million of people murdered? I am a Stalinist, signed Diana Conti, can I record that?" the journalist said, and Diana Conti answered "Yes, I have no problem to be Stalinist, maybe it is your problem, not mine".


Corruption case

While a senator, she was accused (2005) and found innocent (2012) as part of the cause that was processed before the National Court for Criminal and Correctional No. 6 by Dr. Rodolfo Canicoba Corral. The file had been issued by virtue of a complaint filed by a former employee at the Senate, Bruno Bimbi, at which time the appointee claimed to have been forced to give much of their pay under threat of losing his job. The case was initially dismissed by Judge Jose Codino in late August 2005, but the court of appeal re-opened a little later. According to Bimbi, many of the employees who appeared as Conti personnel on official documents were completely unknown to him and other real employees under the direction of Diana Conti (in fact, one was the son of Conti). In the words of Bimbi, the first time that forced him to give him the money he had just withdrawn from the bank, and seeing his face in amazement, said, "you can keep the coins", exact words of Mr. Bimbi. These statements were dismissed in the trial that was carried forward. The result was dismissed at first instance and subsequent confirmation of this ruling by the Room number 9 of the Hon. Court of Appeals in the Criminal and Correctional matter´s Federal Camera.


Later years

During April 2006, Conti returned to the public light when she began a campaign in favour of laws for harsher punishment to those found guilty of
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
at work, regardless of sexual gender. A divorced woman, Conti participated in several seminars and law clinics in Argentina. During 2012 she had appearances in public, such as when referring to the possible re-election of the President
Cristina Kirchner Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess * Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American ...
. Conti died on 8 March 2024, at the age of 67.


References


External links


senado.gov.ar Senate profileInterview
'' Diario Judicial'', 2006-05-22
Profile
''
La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal ''Clarín (Argentine newspaper), Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argen ...
'', 2007-05-06
Noticia
'' Parlamentario.com'', 2009-08-02 {{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Diana 1956 births 2024 deaths Politicians from Buenos Aires Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Buenos Aires Province Argentine deputies 2013–2015 Argentine deputies 2011–2013 Argentine deputies 2009–2011 Argentine deputies 2007–2009 Argentine deputies 2005–2007 20th-century Argentine lawyers Members of the Argentine Senate for Buenos Aires Province Front for a Country in Solidarity politicians Victory Party (Argentina) politicians Women members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies Women members of the Argentine Senate 20th-century Argentine women lawyers Argentine communists University of Buenos Aires alumni