In an exclusive column, Jewish journalist Damian Pachter – who first reported on the death of the special prosecutor – recounts the intimidation, the sleepless nights, the agent who stalked him and his ultimate decision to head for Israel.
HAARETZ
So here they are, the craziest 48 hours of my life.
When my source gave me the scoop on Alberto Nisman’s death, I was writing a piece on the special prosecutor’s accusations against President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, her (Jewish) Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman, two pro-Iran “social activists” and parliamentarian Andrés Larroque. I learned that Nisman had been shot dead in his home.
The vetting process wasn’t too tough because of my source’s incredible attention to detail. His name will never be revealed.
Two things stood in my mind: my source’s safety and people’s right to know what happened that day, though not necessarily in that order.
Of course, for both speed and the contagion effect, Twitter was the way to go. The data were so solid I never doubted my source, despite my one or two colleagues who doubted me because I only had 420 Twitter followers — a number now eclipsing 10,000.
As the night went on, journalists contacted me in order to get the news from me even more directly. The first to do so was Gabriel Bracesco.
Once I tweeted that Nisman had died, hundreds of people quickly retweeted the news and started following me. That was my first of many sleepless days.
“You just broke the best story in decades,” lots of people said. “You’re crazy,” was another take. Either way, nobody questioned that the situation was very grave.
The following days were marked by a government trying to create an official story. First, the head of state suggested a “suicide hypothesis,” then a mysterious murder. They of course were not to blame. In anything.
That week I received several messages from one of my oldest and best sources. He urged me to visit him, but in those crazy days I underestimated his proposal.
On Friday I was working at the Buenos Aires Herald.com newsroom when a colleague from the BBC urged me to look at the state news agency’s story on Nisman’s death. The piece had some serious typos but the message was even stranger: The agency quoted a supposed tweet of mine that I never wrote.
Bus to nowhere
I cursed in anger, adding amid the profanity: “I’ll tweet this and then they’ll see.” But I waited a few minutes to cool down and realized that this tweet was a kind of coded message.
So I bounced it off my friend, who said: “Get out now and go to Retiro,” Buenos Aires’ central bus station. “And come visit me. You have to leave the city.” It was around 8:30 P.M.
I was very lucky: When I arrived a bus would be leaving in two minutes. Where that bus was going I’ll never reveal either.
After several hours on the road, I arrived at the bus station, where I remained for a couple of hours. It turns out this was a big mistake: I think that was the place someone started watching me. But I didn’t realize it back then.
I didn’t want to stay too long in any one place, so I walked over to a gas-station joint nearby. My friend contacted me and said: “I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”
I was sitting around there for two hours or so when a very strange person came in. He wore jeans, a jeans jacket and Ray-Ban sunglasses. I noticed him immediately but stayed where I was. He was sitting two tables from me.
Suddenly I felt a finger on my neck and jumped like I never did my whole life.
“You’re a bit jumpy son” — it was my friend making one of his jokes. “You’re under surveillance; haven’t you noticed the intelligence guy behind you?”
“The one with the jeans and Ray-Bans?”
“Yeah.”
“What does he want?”
“Stay calm and look into my camera,” my guy said as he took my picture. Well, actually he took a picture of the intelligence officer, who left five minutes later. I have that picture here with me.
I then had to consider the best thing to do, because when an Argentine intelligence agent is on your tail, it’s never good news. He didn’t just want to have a coffee with me, that’s for sure.
Montevideo and Madrid
In any case, the decision came quick: I had to leave the country immediately. So I contacted one of my best friends, who got scared but understood the situation. We had to do it quickly, and I’m sure his efficiency saved my life. I will forever be grateful to him.
So I did it: I bought a ticket from Buenos Aires, to Montevideo, Uruguay, to Madrid to Tel Aviv.
I had to keep a low profile in order to get by the security forces. So I went back to the Retiro bus station — the scariest part of that long day. I was sure that if something happened, it would happen at the train station, a very dangerous place at night.
I had the feeling someone was after me and I’d get shot from some strange angle. But then I suspected my taxi driver even more. I figured he’d stray and take me off somewhere.
Meanwhile, text messages were sent to my two best colleagues, a friend and my mom. They were told where we would meet: Buenos Aires Airport. I couldn’t spend any time on the phone because I was being surveilled.
When my mother arrived she of course cried but remained calm. We discussed a few things and I told her to leave. Then my journalist friends came and we did an interview that has already hit Argentina’s top newspapers. I was flying back home, to Tel Aviv, as I always wanted to.
I have no idea when I’ll be back in Argentina; I don’t even know if I want to. What I do know is that the country where I was born is not the happy place my Jewish grandparents used to tell me stories about.
After I left Argentina I found out that the government was still publishing wrong information about me on social media. The Twitter feed of Casa Rosada, the Argentine presidential palace, posted the details of the airline ticket I had bought, and claimed that I intended to return to Argentina by February 2 — in other words, I hadn’t really fled the country. In fact, my return date is in December.
Argentina has become a dark place led by a corrupt political system. I still haven’t figured out everything that has happened to me over the past 48 hours. I never imagined my return to Israel would be like this.
0 thoughts on “Why I fled Argentina after breaking the story of Alberto Nisman’s death”
Spare us the histrionics, Jew.
A fucking and conceited jew.If for anything if my country has converted in a place of sadness is due to the systematic moral and cultural destruction operated from powerful and shadowy synagoges and jewish associations like OSA,DAIA,etc.
Is true,Argentina used to be a country of happy people,now looks like a bunch of concentration camps “survivors”.
There makes no difference if he got knowledge of Nisman death several hours before others,we call it primicia,a coveted prize for every journalist,they dream “stopping the presses”.
Why somebody will try to kill or harm this patetic guy?
Amazing story about a reporter demonstrating the same bravery as Daniel Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers), Carl Bernstein (Watergate), and Monica Lewinsky (Da Blue Dress)!
/sarc
“Argentina is not the happy place my Jewish grandparents used to tell me stories about.”
This is wonderful news. Evidently Argentina has become a pretty decent place to live.
“Argentina has become a dark place led by a corrupt political system. I still haven’t figured out everything that has happened to me over the past 48 hours. I never imagined my return to Israel would be like this.”
Another joo master “storyteller” writing in such a way that I’m sure he hopes he can sell his “story” to be made into a TV mini-series! Oh vey! Why in the world would the Argentine authorities give a rat’s behind about some two-bit joo “journalist”? Answer: They wouldn’t. These people really ought to get a new playbook. This one is becoming so transparent to us “cattle”.
Sorry Konrad,as I said before,moral and cultural decay and economic disasters followed by widespread poverty changed Argentina forever.
Again you can put the blame on the jews through their control of the financial markets and corruption of politics,specially the monster known as “peronismo” today,that has nothing to do with the sovereign nationalistic project of Perón
Argentina has transformed from a once happy and lovely place to live in a sorrowful country for most of argentineans.
@ jgalindes: If the Jews say that Argentina is bad these days, then Argentina cannot be all that bad. That may seem simplistic, but I hold to it.
I have never been to Argentina. (Have you?) Surely Argentina is no worse than countries whose governments are radically pro-USA and pro-Israel, such as Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Paraguay.
“Argentina has transformed from a once happy and lovely place to live in a sorrowful country for most of Argentineans.”
Please elaborate with an example or two.
“The monster known as “peronismo” today has nothing to do with the sovereign nationalistic project of Perón.
That is the case worldwide. “Communist” China is no more communist than Fox News. “Democratic America” is no more democratic than a slave plantation. “Socialist” Europe is no more socialist than Chile under Pinochet.
It’s the way of the world.
Konrad,I was born.raised and educated in Argentina more than six decades ago.
Peronism,an authentic popular,nationalistic movement was systematically destroyed by the communist jews nucleated around OSA (Organización Sionista Argentina) ,the Catholic Church and the local oligarchy hand in hand with the american embassy.That was a long time ago,in 1955.
Perón was charged with the antisemitic nazi stigma,because he knew how to deal and maneuver the jews,without persecuting them,just letting them to freely work and develop like any other citizen.But he was firmly in control.
Peronists were persecuted,bombings of public places with british warplanes were perpetrated,firing squads executed many and even Peron’s name was prohibited in any media during at least15 years.
But peronism was hard to die and the people brought Peron back for a third term in 1973.
Unfortunately, trotskist jews and local guerrillas financed through international banking (Graiver) accelerated a final take-over by the military in 1976.
They kidnaped,tortured ,killed and dissapeared many thousands,jews and goys,innocent and guilty,instigated by mega-genocidal jew H.Kissinger.
At the same time this military dictatorship implemented an economic ultra neo-liberal policy fomented mainly by american jewry and american plutocracy that finished local industry favoring american control and abuse and worst of all,empoverished even more the people.
In 1983,after disastrous Malvinas War,”democracy” was dictated by what is now called the “Washington Plan”,that at the same time ordered the almost complete dismantlement of the armed forces in Argentina and several other latin american countries.
From that point on,whatever was left of original peronism was gradually corrupted resulting in people like Menem,Dualde ,Nestor and Cristina Kirchner all nominally peronist but responding to Washington and international jewish cabal.
Gradually decreasing living standards to the point that 50% of total population was living in complete poverty with thousands of children dying of hunger and decease in 2001,is certainly a good indication of grief,not happiness.
Abismal cultural decay ,the abandonment of traditions,the acceptance of foreign customs and vices,etc.
It looks like cultural marxism is just an academic curiosity,than the Frankfurt School with it overload of jews,and proven perverse ideology,means nothing when applied to real life situations as happened in my country.
Returning to peronism,of course nobody is saying that a “third way” ,a by-product of WWII and the “cold war” had to be the same thing today ,but it has a written doctrine and in nothing resembles whatever is called modern “peronism”.
I LOVE THIS CARTOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!ONE DAY THIS WILL HAPPEN ALLOVER THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spare us the histrionics, Jew.
A fucking and conceited jew.If for anything if my country has converted in a place of sadness is due to the systematic moral and cultural destruction operated from powerful and shadowy synagoges and jewish associations like OSA,DAIA,etc.
Is true,Argentina used to be a country of happy people,now looks like a bunch of concentration camps “survivors”.
There makes no difference if he got knowledge of Nisman death several hours before others,we call it primicia,a coveted prize for every journalist,they dream “stopping the presses”.
Why somebody will try to kill or harm this patetic guy?
Amazing story about a reporter demonstrating the same bravery as Daniel Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers), Carl Bernstein (Watergate), and Monica Lewinsky (Da Blue Dress)!
/sarc
Look for the common thread.
Reblogged this on Lolathecur's Blog.
“Argentina is not the happy place my Jewish grandparents used to tell me stories about.”
This is wonderful news. Evidently Argentina has become a pretty decent place to live.
“Argentina has become a dark place led by a corrupt political system. I still haven’t figured out everything that has happened to me over the past 48 hours. I never imagined my return to Israel would be like this.”
Poor little rats.
https://quatloosx.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/jews_argentina_02.jpg
Another joo master “storyteller” writing in such a way that I’m sure he hopes he can sell his “story” to be made into a TV mini-series! Oh vey! Why in the world would the Argentine authorities give a rat’s behind about some two-bit joo “journalist”? Answer: They wouldn’t. These people really ought to get a new playbook. This one is becoming so transparent to us “cattle”.
Sorry Konrad,as I said before,moral and cultural decay and economic disasters followed by widespread poverty changed Argentina forever.
Again you can put the blame on the jews through their control of the financial markets and corruption of politics,specially the monster known as “peronismo” today,that has nothing to do with the sovereign nationalistic project of Perón
Argentina has transformed from a once happy and lovely place to live in a sorrowful country for most of argentineans.
@ jgalindes: If the Jews say that Argentina is bad these days, then Argentina cannot be all that bad. That may seem simplistic, but I hold to it.
I have never been to Argentina. (Have you?) Surely Argentina is no worse than countries whose governments are radically pro-USA and pro-Israel, such as Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Paraguay.
“Argentina has transformed from a once happy and lovely place to live in a sorrowful country for most of Argentineans.”
Please elaborate with an example or two.
“The monster known as “peronismo” today has nothing to do with the sovereign nationalistic project of Perón.
That is the case worldwide. “Communist” China is no more communist than Fox News. “Democratic America” is no more democratic than a slave plantation. “Socialist” Europe is no more socialist than Chile under Pinochet.
It’s the way of the world.
Konrad,I was born.raised and educated in Argentina more than six decades ago.
Peronism,an authentic popular,nationalistic movement was systematically destroyed by the communist jews nucleated around OSA (Organización Sionista Argentina) ,the Catholic Church and the local oligarchy hand in hand with the american embassy.That was a long time ago,in 1955.
Perón was charged with the antisemitic nazi stigma,because he knew how to deal and maneuver the jews,without persecuting them,just letting them to freely work and develop like any other citizen.But he was firmly in control.
Peronists were persecuted,bombings of public places with british warplanes were perpetrated,firing squads executed many and even Peron’s name was prohibited in any media during at least15 years.
But peronism was hard to die and the people brought Peron back for a third term in 1973.
Unfortunately, trotskist jews and local guerrillas financed through international banking (Graiver) accelerated a final take-over by the military in 1976.
They kidnaped,tortured ,killed and dissapeared many thousands,jews and goys,innocent and guilty,instigated by mega-genocidal jew H.Kissinger.
At the same time this military dictatorship implemented an economic ultra neo-liberal policy fomented mainly by american jewry and american plutocracy that finished local industry favoring american control and abuse and worst of all,empoverished even more the people.
In 1983,after disastrous Malvinas War,”democracy” was dictated by what is now called the “Washington Plan”,that at the same time ordered the almost complete dismantlement of the armed forces in Argentina and several other latin american countries.
From that point on,whatever was left of original peronism was gradually corrupted resulting in people like Menem,Dualde ,Nestor and Cristina Kirchner all nominally peronist but responding to Washington and international jewish cabal.
Gradually decreasing living standards to the point that 50% of total population was living in complete poverty with thousands of children dying of hunger and decease in 2001,is certainly a good indication of grief,not happiness.
Abismal cultural decay ,the abandonment of traditions,the acceptance of foreign customs and vices,etc.
It looks like cultural marxism is just an academic curiosity,than the Frankfurt School with it overload of jews,and proven perverse ideology,means nothing when applied to real life situations as happened in my country.
Returning to peronism,of course nobody is saying that a “third way” ,a by-product of WWII and the “cold war” had to be the same thing today ,but it has a written doctrine and in nothing resembles whatever is called modern “peronism”.
I LOVE THIS CARTOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!ONE DAY THIS WILL HAPPEN ALLOVER THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!