Updated

A United Nations panel says Argentina has arbitrarily detained activist Milagro Sala and is asking the government for her immediate release.

Sala heads Argentina's Tupac Amaru social movement. She was arrested Jan. 16 and accused of "inciting criminal acts" linked to a protest she led against authorities. The Jujuy provincial government in northern Argentina then broadened the claims, saying her movement "embezzled in public funds."

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention says there were unfounded "consecutive accusations" to keep her jailed indefinitely. It also says that there are no legal elements for her preventive imprisonment and that the state blocked her right to a proper defense.

The resolution was announced Friday by the Argentine human rights group Center for Legal and Social Studies.