Dead Argentinian prosecutor feared for safety of his family and himself

Women holds sign that reads in Spanish; “Argentine justice stinks,” second left, “and “Justice for Nisman,” right, during a march for justice and against impunity in the case of the mysterious death of late prosecutor Alberto Nisman, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. Investigators examining the death of Nisman, who accused Argentine President Cristina Fernandez of agreeing to shield the alleged masterminds of a 1994 terror bombing, said Tuesday, they have found a draft document he wrote requesting her arrest. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) –  A prosecutor whose mysterious death has rocked Argentina’s government confided to an opposition congresswoman that he believed his case against President Cristina Fernández was going to cost him his position, the lawmaker said Friday.

Alberto Nisman was found shot dead in his bathroom on Jan. 18. The discovery came shortly before he was to appear in Congress to detail his allegations that Fernández helped Iran cover up the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center, which killed 85. Fernández and Iran deny the accusations.

Congresswoman Laura Alonso said Nisman spoke to her privately on Jan. 14. She said he feared for his safety and for his daughters, confirming what several other friends and colleagues of Nisman have said.

Alonso said that three days before Nisman died, he had sent her a text message saying, “I’m going with everything,” a reference to the case he was going to present to lawmakers.

She said Nisman told her: “The government knows that I’m bringing this investigation forward.”

Alonso said that even though Nisman felt threatened, he was committed to his investigation and rejected the possibility that he killed himself.

Investigators initially said it appeared Nisman committed suicide, then later said they also were investigating the possibility of a homicide.

Alonso said in another text message sent on Jan. 6, Nisman wrote from London to say he was cutting short a vacation to return to Argentina. Several days later, he publicly accused Fernández of the cover up, speaking to several media outlets.

Investigators, however, have rejected the idea that Nisman altered travel plans, noting he returned on Jan. 12 in keeping with his original plane ticket.

Conspiracy theories swirl around Nisman’s death and the 1994 bombing, which has never been solved. Over the last few weeks, thousands of Argentines have taken to the streets for protests and vigils demanding justice.

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Dead Argentinian prosecutor feared for safety of his family and himself

Uber vows larger focus on safety - Mass. Uber driver accused of rape

Dec. 8, 2014: Supporters of Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party (AAP) hold placards during a protest after a woman was allegedly raped by a driver from ride-booking service Uber in New Delhi, India. (AP)

Uber promises to focus on rider safety amid increasing concerns that its drivers are not adequately screened for past criminal convictions.

In a blog post Wednesday, Uber’s head of global safety defended the company’s safety record but also wrote that “as we look to 2015, we will build new safety programs and intensify others.”

The taxi alternative, valued at $40 billion, lets passengers summon cars through an app in more than 250 cities around the world. It faces multiples legal and regulatory challenges as it expands in the United States and abroad.

Last week, prosecutors in California, where Uber is based, filed a lawsuit alleging that the company exaggerates how comprehensive its driver background checks are. They do not, for example, require that drivers be fingerprinted — unlike drivers of regulated taxis in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The Wednesday blog post did not mention the California lawsuit, though it did reference a case in India in which a driver was accused of raping a passenger.

The blog post came the same day that an Uber driver in Massachusetts was arraigned on charges including rape and kidnapping after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman who had summoned the ride-sharing service.

In the post, the recently hired head of global safety at Uber offered few details of upcoming changes. The initiatives will include the creation of teams that can rapidly respond to safety-related reports and new ways to screen would-be drivers.

“We are finding solutions in many places that range from polygraph exams that fill gaps in available data to adding our own processes on top of existing screening for commercial licenses,” wrote company security chief Philip Cardenas. “We are exploring new ways to screen drivers globally, using scientific analysis and technology to find solutions.”

A spokesman for San Francisco County District Attorney George Gascon said due to its lawsuit, the office can’t comment on the specific proposals. “Obviously we encourage any changes that actually make rides safer,” said spokesman Alex Bastian.

Uber’s opponents in the taxi cab industry, who worry that the increasingly popular app is siphoning away their business, were not impressed.

Calling Uber’s proposals “a decoy to quell the intense criticism the company is generating worldwide,” a spokesman for the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association challenged the company to “follow the rule of law tomorrow and truly begin moving toward safe operations.”

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Uber vows larger focus on safety - Mass. Uber driver accused of rape