By Lucas Gutiérrez. The seven assailants who attacked Jonathan Castellari in December 2017 for being gay have been indicted for aggravated assault with the aggravating circumstance of hate based on sexual orientation. This was confirmed to Presentes by Gastón Llopart, the young man's lawyer. The decision was made by the National Criminal Appeals Court (Chamber I), composed of judges Jorge Rimoldi and Luis María Bunge Campos. "This confirms that the seven defendants were the ones who attacked Jonathan. We would be in a position to start considering requesting that this be brought to trial; that is the next step," said Llopart. "They could have beaten me up for anything, but in this case it was because of my sexual orientation, and that cannot be overlooked; these are acts of hate," Castellari, a member of the Ciervos Pampas , the first LGBTQ+ rugby team in Latin America, told Presentes. He added, "It was what had to happen. I expected nothing less." The attack took place at a fast-food restaurant located at the intersection of Córdoba Avenue and Medrano Street in Buenos Aires. It left Jonathan hospitalized for several days with broken teeth and an injured eye. The assailants charged are: Gastón Alejandro Trotta, Alejandro Matías Trotta, Rodrigo Nahuel Cardozo, Facundo Curto, Juan Bautista Antolini, Jonathan Antony Romero Escobar, and Juan Ignacio Olivieri. Curto's assets were also frozen for $100,000.

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Most of The attackers were arrested. During the last days of December 2017, by order of prosecutor María Paula Asaro of the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 49. At that time, the five detainees, after giving their preliminary statements, were charged and then released.

"Kill him for being a faggot"

“Today I woke up wanting to punch a faggot like you… get outside, you fucking faggot,” With that phrase, Olivieri and Romero Escobar approached Jonathan Castellari in the early hours of December 1, 2017, at the McDonald's located on Avenida Córdoba 3188 in CABA.

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They went out to the parking lot of the establishment where Jonathan was first attacked from behind by Alejandro Trotta, then the other five came out to also attack Castellari. “Kill him for being a faggot,” were some of the phrases they shouted while attacking him. The attack left Jonathan hospitalized for several days with broken teeth, a fracture in the orbital area that affected his eye, and other injuries. All of this is detailed in the statements. Among these is that of Sebastián Sierra, Jonathan's friend who was with him at the time of the attack. Sebastián was also assaulted, and today, regarding this ruling, he says: “I'm happy because the justice system investigated and validated what we said, what we experienced.” This process is just beginning, but it's gratifying to see a little bit of justice.]]>