#CHILE The hate crime against Nicole Saavedra remains unpunished: appeal to the National Prosecutor's Office

The case of Nicole Saavedra Bahamondes, a young lesbian murdered almost two years ago, is stalled. Her family met with the National Prosecutor in a meeting attended by lesbian and feminist organizations.

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By Airam Fernández, from Santiago, Chile. Photos: courtesy of María Bahamondes and Presentes archive. The family of Nicole Saavedra Bahamondes, murdered in June 2016 at the age of 23, led a demonstration yesterday near the Chilean Prosecutor's Office to demand justice. With less than 20 days until the second anniversary of the young lesbian's murder, herdeath remains unpunished. Thefamily's latest demand is the appointment of a prosecutor dedicated exclusively to the case. Nicole's family met with the National Prosecutor, Jorge Abbott, to whom they presented a document outlining their demands. "He promised to get back to us as soon as possible, but we practically had to explain the entire case to him because he wasn't familiar with it. We explained that the assigned prosecutor has done nothing in these two years to advance the investigation," María Bahamondes, the victim's cousin, who has handled the legal proceedings from the beginning, told Presentes. Nicole was last seen alive on the morning of June 18, 2016. She was missing for a week until she was found murdered. According to the autopsy, she died from multiple head and facial traumas. Nicole's family and friends have been denouncing the same thing for over a year: that the investigation is stalled.     In December 2017, the family managed to secure a meeting at the Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor's Office, and their demand remained the same: that prosecutor Juan Emilio Gatica be removed from the case. After six months of waiting and with no answers, they decided to travel to Santiago from Quillota (126 kilometers from the capital), where they live. Silvana del Valle, a lawyer with the Chilean Network Against Violence Against Women and representative of the Saavedra Bahamondes family, recalled that since April 2017 they have requested basic procedures from all relevant authorities in this case, which she categorizes as a hate crime. Security cameras, reports from telephone companies and DNA analysis are some of the procedures that have not yet been carried out.

June 25th will mark two years since the 23-year-old woman was found dead in Limache, in the Los Aromos Reservoir. To remember her, her family is organizing a "week of activism" with activities from June 20th to 25th, including live music in the streets, feminist assemblies, and informational sessions to recount what happened.
A gathering is being organized for Sunday, June 24th, at the site where she was found dead. To commemorate her, a shrine will be erected and blue roses will be brought.
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