(New York, June 22, 2021) – Unidentified attackers killed two transgender women and a gay man in Guatemala in separate attacks within a week, Human Rights Watch said today. One of the victims was Andrea González, leader of an organization defending the rights of transgender people in Guatemala. The attorney general’s office should immediately conduct full and independent investigations into the cases, in order to bring those responsible to justice.
Guatemalan civil society organizations have reported that these three recent murders bring to at least 13 the total number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) murders so far in 2021. The Ombudsman’s office reported that in 2020, at least 19 LGBT people were murdered in Guatemala.
« To protect LGBT people and prevent 2021 from becoming one of the deadliest years for gender and sexual minorities in Guatemala, authorities should ensure justice is served for these killings Said Cristian González Cabrera, LGBT Rights Researcher at Human Rights Watch. ” Investigations by the Attorney General’s office should seek to determine whether victims have been targeted on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity or their work in LGBT rights advocacy. »
Andrea Gonzalez, killed on June 11 in Guatemala City, led the organization OTRANS Queens of the Night (OTRANS Queens of the Night), an organization that defends the rights of transgender women. Cecy Caricia Ixpata, an OTRANS member, died on June 9 at Salamá Hospital in Baja Verapaz, where she was staying, from injuries sustained in an attack by two unidentified people.
The National LGBTIQ + Human Rights Observatory reported that a gay man was shot dead on June 14 in Morales, Izabal.
Full press release in English: online here.
————————–
Tweets
–
