Argentine tourist accused of racism in Brazil returns home

Agostina Páez, an Argentine tourist currently facing a racism charge in Brazil, returned to her home province of Santiago del Estero on Thursday after paying nearly US$19,000 in bail, while she awaits a judge’s verdict in Rio de Janeiro. Páez, a 29-year-old lawyer, had been under house arrest in Brazil since mid-January for making racist gestures at a group of men, a scene which was caught on camera. According to Páez, one of the men had made obscene gestures at her moments before during an argument over a bar bill. The men reported her for injúria racial, a serious racism offense in Brazil, and she was facing up to 15 years in prison. However, after an agreement between the plaintiffs, the prosecutors’ office and her defense team, the judge agreed to allow her to await her potential sentence in Argentina. Prosecutors have requested a two-year prison sentence, which could be replaced with community service to be carried out in Argentina, as well as a fine of around US$50,000 for each victim. The judge is expected to announce his decision in two to three weeks. Páez arrived in Santiago del Estero on Thursday, where she will await the judge’s final decision. The day before, she flew from Rio to Buenos Aires accompanied by her Brazilian lawyer Carla Junqueira. Speaking with the swarm of reporters who were waiting for her at the airport, she said that she was “very relieved.” “This nightmare is over. I regret having reacted badly, despite the context,” she said, referring to her gestures. However, she added: “I reacted to obscene gestures, women will understand.” Páez recently apologized for her actions in a video posted to her personal Instagram. She also apologized directly to the victims during a hearing last week. Páez said she hadn’t apologized earlier because she was advised against it by her former lawyer. While the judge could accept the prosecutors’ request and sentence her to two years of community service, he could also sentence her to five years of prison — the maximum punishment for the crime — or even acquit her. During the brief hours she spent in Buenos Aires, Páez met with libertarian senator and former security minister Patricia Bullrich. “I am so happy you are here,” Bullrich told her in a video uploaded to her social media. “There has been great work from her lawyers, the unconditional support of her family and the backing of the government,” Bullrich wrote in her post. “There is only one important thing: that she is here.” Me junté con Agostina antes de que vuelva a su casa con su familia.Hubo un gran trabajo de sus abogados, el acompañamiento incondicional de su familia y el apoyo del Gobierno. Y sí, a pesar de algunas manos sucias e interesadas, volvió.Hoy hay una sola cosa importante: que… pic.twitter.com/Aa3rqIJCAT— Patricia Bullrich (@PatoBullrich) April 2, 2026