A Uruguayan men’s rights activist has been arrested in Argentina for the alleged murder of his ex-partner and her mother, and is suspected of killing his driver.

Pablo Laurta is also accused of kidnapping his six-year-old son. He was staying with the boy at a hotel when authorities found him. They believe he was trying to escape back to Uruguay. 

Investigators are looking into whether he murdered and dismembered the man who drove him from the Argentine border to the victims’ home town in Córdoba province.

Laurta used to run an X account called Varones Unidos (Men United), where he posted messages against gender equality policies and shared the stories of fathers who accuse their ex-partners of stopping them from seeing their children. His anti-feminist campaigning had led to him speaking alongside figures of the Argentine far right who are close to President Javier Milei.

Luna Giardina, Laurta’s former partner, and Mariel Zamudio, her mother, were murdered at home on Saturday morning. Neighbors told the press they heard several bangs, which at the time they did not realize were gunshots. They later saw Laurta leave with the boy.

The neighbors said in TV interviews that Laurta had forced Giardini to move to Uruguay with him two years ago. She later left him and returned to her hometown with their son. They said they had seen Laurta loitering near the house, harassing the women, and even sleeping on their roof for several days.

Giardina had reported Laurta for gender-based violence and had a panic device, although she did not activate it before she was killed. Laurta had previously been caught attempting to enter Argentina with guns. He was subject to a restraining order, and a judge had ruled that he should be fitted with an electronic ankle monitor if he was caught entering Argentina again. 

He had sued for custody of his son in Uruguay, but the authorities denied the request.

Kayaking to Argentina

According to Entre Ríos province Security Minister Néstor Roncaglia, Laurta entered Argentina illegally by kayaking across the Uruguay River after practicing for several days. It appeared that he was planning to return in the same fashion.

After crossing the river, Laurta was driven from the Entre Ríos border town of Concordia to Córdoba. He had arranged the ride with Martín Palacios, whom he knew from previous trips. CCTV footage shows the men together during a stop in their trip. Palacios went missing on October 7 and his burned-out car was found two days later. A headless and dismembered body found near Concordia was identified as Palacio on Tuesday.

After allegedly murdering Giardina and her mother, Laurta left Córdoba in a taxi with his son and arrived in Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos, late on Saturday. They stayed in a hotel, where authorities arrested him. The child was taken into judicial custody.

Men’s rights activism

The pinned post on Laurta’s Varones Unidos X account was a news article about his ex-partner and son, entitled “How Córdoba’s feminist judiciary is keeping a boy kidnapped in Argentina in a context of extortion and child exploitation.” The account has been suspended by X because of the ongoing murder investigation.

Another post included an extract of Giardina’s criminal complaint against him, which he claimed was false. In it, she said that Laurta used to force her to have sex with him and made her go to Uruguay. She added that he wouldn’t let her use social media, work, or own a phone.

On his personal account, Laurta shared posts supporting Andrew Tate and Elon Musk and against what he called “the woke mind virus.” He became a known anti-feminist voice in Uruguay, and in 2018 he spoke at a conference at the Uruguayan Parliament along with far-right Argentine writers Agustín Laje and Nicolás Márquez, both of whom are close to Argentine President Javier Milei. Laje has denied having any ties with him.