Diana Sacayán trial: vigil called after the verdict

On Monday, June 18, the Criminal Court No. 4 of the City of Buenos Aires will announce the verdict in the transphobic murder of Diana Sacayán, who was killed in October 2015. A vigil will be held starting at 7 p.m. in Plaza Lavalle to remember Diana and other victims of transphobic and transfemicide.

June 15, 2018

The trial began on March 12th at the courthouse located at 550 Talcahuano Street. At this hearing, scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM, the rebuttals and counter-arguments of what has already become an unprecedented trial will be heard. In their closing arguments, the prosecution—Prosecutor Ariel Yapur of District Attorney's Office No. 5 and Mariela Labozetta of the UFEM (Specialized Prosecutor's Unit for Violence against Women and LGBTIQ People)—and the plaintiffs—Luciana Sánchez representing the family and Juan Kassargian representing INADI —requested a life sentence for David Gabriel Marino , the only defendant at this stage, considering him the perpetrator of Diana's murder. Meanwhile, another judicial investigation, currently in the preliminary stages, continues searching for a second suspect. The Justice for Diana Sacayán Commission—which has been supporting the trial with cultural activities in the streets—is calling on “political, social, and human rights activists and militants from the feminist movement and the LGBTIQ community, all queers, lesbians, transvestites, trans people, gays, bisexuals, non-binary people, all sexual and gender dissidents, allies, and all of society to join us at this crucial moment that could mark a turning point for our transvestite and trans community,” they stated in a press release published by MAL (Anti-Discrimination Liberation Movement), which Diana founded and is now coordinated by her brother and plaintiff, Say Sacayán. In this trial—which has already held eleven hearings with the courtroom packed to capacity—it is the first time that the term “transvesticide” and violence motivated by prejudice against gender identity have been used in court records and before the tribunal. But it is also the first time that the courts have heard, throughout the hearings, the voices of transvestites and trans people who testified not only about the loss that Diana's murder represented for the community but also about the structural violence they face daily. This has been made possible by the work carried out by the plaintiffs, the prosecutors, and the Justice for Diana Sacayán Commission. "We have come this far with the certainty of having succeeded in raising awareness in a large part of society and moving many of the political, social, and judicial actors participating in this process. We hope that the Judiciary will rise to the occasion and issue an exemplary ruling, declaring that Diana's murder was a hate crime motivated by prejudice against her transvestite gender identity, and that this Judiciary will speak out for the first time in history about the deaths of transvestites and trans people and recognize that this was a transvesticide," the Commission stated. The gathering begins at 9:00 AM on the sixth floor of the Palace of Justice , where the hearing will take place, and also in Lavalle Square. Starting at 9:30 AM, an open-air radio broadcast will begin in the square. At 7:00 PM, there will be a tribute to Diana and all the victims of transphobic and transphobic murders in Lavalle Square . Organizers ask that attendees "bring candles and photos of Diana and the trans women we will be remembering."

Our coverage of the 11 hearings:

#DianaSacayán: This is how the first day of the trial for transvesticide was experienced

#DianaSacayán: “Diana gave everything for her family and her community”

#DianaSacayánTrial: the autopsy showed that she was murdered with ferocity

#DianaSacayánTrial: A witness testified about the night of the transvesticide

#DianaSacayánTrial: the fourth hearing focused on who the accused is

Diana Sacayán's transgender employment quota law is being demanded nationwide.

#DianaSacayánTrial: a plea and a festival that made history

Group photo to demand justice for Diana Sacayán

#DianaSacayán For the first time in the trial, the accused of transvesticide spoke.

#DianaSacayánTrial: INADI requested life imprisonment for transvesticide

#DianaSacayán “The violent death of a trans woman is a transvesticide,” said the prosecutor’s office

Diana Sacayán trial: defense presented arguments and sentencing will be on June 18

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