#JusticeForDiana: “We don’t want the second suspect to be a scapegoat”
Leaders of LGBTQ+ organizations are demanding a thorough investigation into the murder of Amancay Diana Sacayán, a trans woman. They are calling for a mobilization on December 20, when the Court of Appeals will decide whether the investigation will continue or be closed and sent to trial. (#BUENOSAIRES) – Argentine organizations representing LGBTQ+ groups expressed their strong support and also their concern for…
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Leaders of LGBTQ+ organizations are demanding a thorough investigation into the transphobic murder of Amancay Diana Sacayán. They are calling for a mobilization on December 20, when the Court of Appeals will decide whether the investigation continues or is closed and sent to trial. (#BUENOSAIRES) – Argentine LGBTQ+ organizations expressed their strong support for, and also their concern about, the legal case of the transphobic murder of Diana Sacayán. They are demanding that the second person charged in the crime “not be made a scapegoat.” They also demanded that the investigation continue and be deepened to fully clarify the case. This was expressed at a meeting held yesterday at the headquarters of the Mocha Celis Trans Popular High School in the Chacarita neighborhood of Buenos Aires. There, they reviewed the progress and setbacks in the legal proceedings and agreed to call for a mobilization on Tuesday, December 20. That day, the Court of Appeals will decide whether to close or continue the investigation into the transphobic murder of Diana. Diana was found dead on October 13, 2015, with 13 stab wounds, in her apartment at 6700 Rivadavia Street, in the Flores neighborhood, where she lived with a friend. So far, according to forensic analysis, only a 23-year-old man has been identified as the perpetrator, as reported to the investigating judge by the Public Prosecutor's Office—represented by the National Criminal Court of Instruction No. 4, headed by Matías Di Lello—and the Specialized Prosecutor's Unit for Violence against Women (UFEM), headed by Mariela Labozetta.
"The second killer could be at large."
The concern that Diana's murder will go unpunished—shared by family, friends, and fellow activists—arose in November when Judge Gustavo Pierreti of the National Criminal Court of Instruction No. 33 decided to close the investigation, sending the case to trial with two defendants. This decision was appealed by the plaintiffs, led by Diana's brother, Sasha Sacayán, who is requesting a more thorough investigation into another person named in the case file who is also currently detained. For the plaintiffs (and also for the prosecution), the evidence is not exhausted. They believe that other lines of investigation were not pursued either. The final decision rests with the court, which will issue its ruling next week, either ordering the investigation to continue or closing it and sending the case to trial. “It has been proven that the crime was committed by two people. We ask the Justice system to continue the investigation to be certain about the second person arrested and, eventually, to find the second murderer, who could be at large,” says Darío Arias, activist with Conurbanos por la Diversidad – one of the organizations that participated in the meeting – and member of the commission that was formed to strengthen the demand for justice.
Marcelo Suntheim, deputy secretary of the Argentine Homosexual Community (CHA), believes the case is in danger: “Certain judicial decisions have been made that lead us to believe the case may be at risk. That's why our organization is at the disposal of Diana's family to give them all the support they need to ensure justice is served.”
Many hate crimes, little response from the justice system
“We want to know who killed Diana and why. If we don’t push her cause forward, the situation worsens for everyone. Seeking justice for her means continuing to fight to change the lives of our fellow activists and demanding change from society. I think if it had happened to any of us, we would have done the same,” Sasha told Presentes a few weeks ago, when The commission “Justice for Diana Sacayán Stop the transphobic murders” sent a report to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to express its concern about the closure of the investigation into the murder. This report details the progress and setbacks suffered by the investigation into the transvesticide of Amancay Diana Sacayán, the leader of the Anti-Discrimination Liberation Movement (MAL) and alternate trans secretary of the Association International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Organization for Latin America and the Caribbean, ILGLAC. This organization also participated in yesterday's meeting. ILGLAC's program officer, Paul Caballero, stated: “It is very important to follow up on what happened to Diana (who was part of this association as alternate trans secretary). She is very close to us and is also one of the leading figures in the Argentine LGBTI movement. We must follow up on all cases of transphobic murders to prevent these crimes from continuing to be committed against our community. From our office, we observe that in Latin America the rate of hate crimes is very high, but there is also widespread impunity and a lack of response from the judicial system.”December 20: rally to demand #JusticeForDiana
On Tuesday, the organizations called for a march at 10 a.m. in front of the National Chamber to demand justice for Diana. The organizations that participated in the meeting were Anti-Discrimination Liberation Movement (MAL), Conurbanos por la Diversidad, Comunidad Homosexual Argentina (CHA), Centro de Estudiantes y Egresados Bachillerato Popular Mocha Trans, OTRANS, Regional office of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association for Latin America and the Caribbean (ILGLAC), Abosex, Association for the struggle for Travesti-Transsexual identity (ALITT), 100 percent diversity, La Cámpora Diversity and Raíz Social Lanús. To learn more about the transvesticide Diana Sacayán.Follow Presentes:
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