Less than 24 hours after lawyer Agostina Páez returned to Argentina from two months in Brazilian custody over a similar racist gesture, her father Mariano Páez was filmed imitating a monkey in a Santiago del Estero bar. He claims the video is AI-generated amid extortion threats, while local media labeled it an 'endless scandal.' Páez distanced herself from the incident on social media.
A video published by local outlet Info del Estero shows Mariano Páez, a businessman from Santiago del Estero, making monkey-like gestures alongside his partner in a downtown dance bar early Friday morning. While criticizing the State, the gestures echoed those that led to his daughter Agostina's detention in Brazil. The footage surfaced hours after her return home on Wednesday, April 1, following bail payment of about R$97,000 and compliance with measures like an ankle monitor.
Agostina Páez, detained over two months for racial insult charges after a January 14 dispute in an Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro bar—where she used terms like “negro” and “mono” and imitated a monkey—posted on Instagram: "I have absolutely nothing to do with what's circulating. [...] What is seen is regrettable and I completely repudiate it. I can only answer for my own actions. I acknowledged my mistakes, apologized, and faced the consequences. [...] What horror."
Mariano Páez denied the video's authenticity to TN, claiming it was "made with artificial intelligence" and that he was threatened with extortion demands of $5 million pesos to halt its spread. He plans a judicial complaint. Meanwhile, Argentine media highlighted the similarity: La Nación called it “an endless scandal,” and Clarín described it as “a provocation from a father who doesn't learn.”
Brazil treats racial slurs as racism, punishable by 2-5 years in prison and fines. Agostina returned under conditions, including keeping her address updated, with her case still pending; she may face trial proceedings in Argentina.
