Claudia Vasquez Haro, president of Otrans Argentina, reported that an assailant broke into her home in the La Loma neighborhood of La Plata on Saturday night. He told her, "I'm going to kill you," while beating her. He was arrested last night. The investigation is being handled by Prosecutor's Office No. 1, which has been criticized for its previous actions. For more than two years, Otrans has been denouncing police and judicial violence and requesting protection. [NEWS IN PROGRESS: Updated Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. Argentina time] Photo: Ariel Gutraich. The president of Otrans Argentina, Claudia Vásquez Haro, reported that she was attacked and nearly killed on Saturday, May 13, at 10:30 p.m. at her home in the La Loma neighborhood of La Plata. The report was filed at the 4th Police Station in La Plata, and the investigation is being led by prosecutor Ana Medina of UFI 1.

The assailant, a 25-year-old man, was arrested last night by police in an operation carried out at a residence on 16th Street No. 421. He was charged with the crime of "assault".

Inside the house where he was located, various items of interest to the case were seized, including a maroon backpack, a denim jacket with blood stains; two cell phones and the detainee's ID,” the informants added.

Yesterday, Vásquez Haro told Presentes that she was going to give her a panic button. The president of Otrans Argentina (a civil association for the rights of transvestite and trans people) has repeatedly denounced the situation of her colleagues before local courts and international organizations, especially the institutional violence they suffer at the hands of the police but also the justice system. Luciana Sánchez, a lawyer for Otrans Argentina, said: “This attack was preventable and avoidable.” Prevention is the responsibility of the State. Anyone who reports abuses by the police, security forces, and the justice system must be protected. This protection has been requested repeatedly since February 2015 and has never been granted.The panic button is too late. The lawyer also questions why the investigation is being handled by Ana Medina: "a prosecutor who has criminalized the trans and travesti community on other occasions. Now she's in charge of the investigation into this attack and is responsible for the fact that the perpetrator hasn't been arrested yet, even though he's been identified for over a day and there's very compelling evidence. She never showed up. And she kept asking to corroborate Claudia's testimony in a situation where the important thing is to take urgent measures."

The reported events

On Saturday night, Vásquez Haro recounted, the assailant entered her home carrying a backpack containing a knife, empty bottles, and a rolling pin. Vásquez Haro initially thought it was a robbery and told him to take everything, to which he replied, "I'm going to kill you." During a struggle, the assailant struck her on the head with a bottle, but the head of Otrans managed to open the front door and escape. She was treated at Gutiérrez Hospital for cuts and bruises on her face and body. “I am very worried because we have been denouncing police violence, in collusion with the justice system and the prison system. We have filed complaints against officials of the national and provincial governments,” said Claudia Vásquez Haro in a video that circulated on social media, showing the state of her home. “We met with the Secretaries of Human Rights, Claudio Avruj and Marcelo Cantón, and with the head of the Women's Council, Fabiana Túñez, to express our concerns about the persecution of the trans community, primarily in La Plata. Given the lack of response, we have filed complaints with international organizations. This attack is related to the complaints we have been making and to my role in leading these efforts to prevent further violations of the rights of trans people,” she added. In a release The organization, which released the statement, demanded that the justice system investigate the incident, which it described as having “a clear aim: to silence the struggles.” “This is not an isolated case, but rather a mafia-style message, concocted and premeditated.”

"They are killed because they are exposed."

"As the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) says, the leaders and human rights defenders of transvestite and trans people in the region are exposed to this type of attack that puts their lives at risk. They are killed because they are exposed“They represent a very vulnerable group, and not only do they not receive state protection, but when interventions do occur, they are often revictimizing or designed to guarantee impunity,” Sánchez stated this morning. Claudia Vasquez Haro filed the first complaint regarding reprisals and arbitrary arrests of trans and travesti women in La Plata in February 2015. “In every habeas corpus petition and criminal complaint, even the most recent one, protection was requested for her and her colleagues. But since then, no concrete measures have been taken, beyond the fact that some habeas corpus petitions were resolved favorably,” said the lawyer from Otrans. “Guillermo Salas, a police officer who has been denounced for years for acts of institutional violence, remains on duty; he hasn’t even faced administrative proceedings. The same is true for the commissioner of the 9th Precinct in La Plata. There is a manual from the Buenos Aires Province Attorney General’s Office on how to investigate these cases, but it is not being applied.” In the chain of responsibility, the lawyer also mentions the Provincial Minister of Security, Cristian Ritondo. "Complaints about coercion and illegal procedures are not taken to court. They are put through a secret, irrelevant, and uncontrolled internal affairs administrative procedure. The victims have no say. And the Ministry of Security has an obligation to make these cases transparent, suspending people from their duties."