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By Elena Corvalán, from Salta

While Mirna Antonella Di Marzo, 30, the young trans woman attacked on Sunday, remains in a coma, family, neighbors, friends and activists will march tonight in General Güemes, 50 kilometers from the city of Salta, demanding justice.

The demonstration, in the central plaza of General Güemes, will begin at 8 p.m. so that the young woman's family can attend. She remains hospitalized in serious condition in the intensive care unit of the Joaquín Castellanos Hospital in General Güemes.
"She's still not well," her sister, Norma Di Marzo, told her, and asked people to come and support them in their demand for justice.

Through tears, she clings to hope, wanting to believe that "she will recover." She also recounted that in addition to skull fractures, Mirna has a serious injury to one eye and one arm. Yesterday, doctors tried to remove her from the ventilator, but she didn't respond, so she remains connected, unconscious, just as she was found on the morning of Sunday, October 21, on the sidewalk outside the Caribe nightclub, where she had gone to greet a friend.

[Salta: She's trans, she was brutally beaten outside a nightclub and is in serious condition]

One person has been arrested

Police say they have identified and arrested the assailant, José Gustavo Gareca. He is charged with attempted aggravated homicide due to gender-based violence, according to the press office of the Salta Judiciary.
The case is being handled by Judge Ada Zunino of Guarantee Court 1 and Prosecutor Rodrigo González Miralpeix of the Unit for Serious Crimes Against Persons.

The Salta Police Investigation Brigade identified the accused using security camera footage that recorded the attack on the block where the nightclub is located. According to statements from Caribe, Mirna was only briefly in the establishment, having gone to greet her and wish her a happy Mother's Day. It is believed that her attacker saw her inside, followed her, and attacked her as she was about to get on her motorcycle. He left her lying on the sidewalk, where bystanders who witnessed the end of the attack came to her aid.

According to Norma Di Marzo, in General Güemes, a commercial town located along National Route 34, which leads to San Salvador de Jujuy, Gareca was known as a street vendor selling bread. He had previously served time for slitting the throat of a neighbor. Shortly after attacking Mirna, he attacked another young woman in the same town. Like Mirna, he struck her on the head, although in this case, the victim was helped by a young passerby. The assailant fled, and at the scene of the second attack, he dropped a purse. It was the purse he had stolen from Mirna.
The young woman who was attacked contacted Mirna's family. She recounted that early Sunday morning, on her way to catch the bus to the city of Salta, where she works, she noticed a man following her. She pretended to tie her shoelaces to get him to go ahead, but the man stopped, asked her for the time, and then began hitting her on the head. The young woman filed a criminal complaint and plans to meet with Mirna's family tomorrow.

The accused was released in July

According to reports today, Gareca, 44, had other cases pending in the Salta judicial system and public prosecutor's office. On March 1, 2006, Criminal Court No. 3 sentenced him to 12 years in prison for the murder of his neighbor.
Almost two years later, on October 27, 2008, the same court combined his sentence with another crime allegedly committed while he was incarcerated, resulting in a total of 17 years and 9 months. On January 2, a case was opened against him for simple possession of narcotics.
He began his release from prison last February and was under a supervised release program until July of this year, when his sentence was completed.

Attacks on trans people are common in Güemes

“We’re always being attacked here in Güemes.” “Not just me, but all the (trans) women who live here in General Güemes, we all have problems,” said Estrella Méndez, a 47-year-old trans woman and friend of Mirna. She said they are frequently robbed, that people always try to hit them, and, above all, they endure insults all the time. She added that the “majority” of the attackers are men.

“It’s been almost a year since a guy beat me up to steal my cell phone. I still have the scar on my face, I have photos. I filed a report at the courthouse, but they didn’t do any justice,” she said, recounting her personal experience.
The assailant actually received an eight-month sentence, but for Estrella, that’s not enough: when she filed the report, they only took it seriously regarding the cell phone theft, not the injuries. In a spiral of violence, the aggressor in this case was Miguel Ángel Martínez, who became known in 2011 for being one of the young men tortured by police officers at the 11th Precinct in General Güemes.

Estrella highlights two very serious assaults in her life. This one and another that occurred six years ago, when a man tried to rape her and fractured her skull. “I filed a report, but he was released after 20 days (…) Here, no one protects us; we are discriminated against,” she stated.

The call to tonight's march is being made under the slogan: "Stop the practices and incidents of hatred towards gay, lesbian, and trans people." While it was originally promoted by Mirna's family and by teenagers who have been mobilized since the debate on the legalization of abortion, it is being supported by the Gender Diversity Department of the General Güemes municipality.

Norma Di Marzo lamented the continued verbal abuse, even in the case of her sister, whose life is in danger. She recounted receiving hurtful comments. She also told Presentes that she fears Gareca will be released again and continue to harass others.