Higui de Jesús: "The fight for justice is not over"
Gabriela Conder, the lawyer representing Eva Analía “Higui” de Jesús, explains the current status of the case. Together with more than ten social organizations and independent activists, they are launching the Campaign for Higui's Acquittal today and calling for a gathering in front of Congress on Lesbian Visibility Day.
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Natalia “La Pepa” Gaitán will also be remembered, whose “lesbian murder” in 2010 gave rise to Lesbian Visibility Day: “This case reflects the ultimate expression of the series of violence that lesbians suffer in this patriarchal, sexist, and heterosexist society in which we live. It is a day to remember, reflect, make visible, and condemn the mistreatment and violence against lesbians.”
“Higui’s case exposes patriarchal but also classist justice.”
Gabriela “Chiqui” Conder, Higui's lawyer and a member of the Lawyers' Association, explained: “Today Higui is at home, but this was just the first battle. Her release was made possible by organization and mobilization. Today she awaits trial as a free woman, after having been unjustly imprisoned for eight months. But the fight for justice for her is not over: although there is still no date set for the trial, she is still being prosecuted.”
READ MORE: #HiguiLibre: an achievement of feminisms where we all participate”
Higui is being prosecuted for the simple homicide of a man. Her claim of self-defense is not being considered, despite her statement that she was threatened with rape. This is also despite the fact that the bruises on her body demonstrate that she was attacked, and the forensic examination of her clothing shows that she was sexually assaulted. Furthermore, she faced her arrest and the initial stage of the investigation without access to legal representation: she never saw the court-appointed lawyer. “For all these reasons and more, we are demanding her acquittal. We are also denouncing the injustice of this case, which involves a woman attacked for being a lesbian and imprisoned for defending herself and for being poor. Higui’s case exposes not only patriarchal but also classist justice.”
READ MORE: Higui de Jesús, closer to trial
Among the activities in Plaza de los dos Congresos, there will also be a special demand for the prosecution of Mariana Gómez, whom the City Police arrested for kissing her wife, Rocío Girat, in public. “For them and for all lesbians, we mobilize to reclaim our lesbian existence, for which we confront daily violence, which becomes more brutal the more visible we are. We will not only no longer be silent: we will continue to mobilize and organize.”
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