#Chile Two attacks on gay men in one day: boiling water and stones
One young man had cigarettes extinguished on his hands, his genitals stepped on, and his head struck with a rock. The other was submerged in a tub of hot water.
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Photo: Josean Rivera
The year began with violence for the Chilean LGBT community. On January 1st, there were two brutal attacks: one in the Laguna Verde commune (Valparaíso) and another in the Porvenir commune (in southern Chile, Magallanes region).
According to a complaint filed by the Movement for Homosexual Liberation (Movilh) , the young man from Valparaíso had cigarettes extinguished on his hands, his genitals stepped on, and his head struck with a rock. Meanwhile, in Porvenir, a man was submerged in a bathtub of hot water and remains in critical condition.
Southern Chile
José David Muñoz Vargas and his partner were celebrating New Year's Eve at their home in the Porvenir commune when a group of men began mocking their sexual orientation, according to family members who spoke to Movilh. One of them had a pot of boiling water thrown at him. The other escaped to the bathroom and was forced to submerge himself in a bathtub of hot water.
As a result of the severe burns, Muñoz Vargas was treated urgently at the Marco Chamorro Iglesias Hospital, after which he was transferred to the Intermediate Treatment Unit (ITU) of the Punta Arenas Clinical Hospital, where his health condition is critical.
Muñoz has burns on 22% of his body, on his back, buttocks and one arm, for which he would be transferred to Santiago, said the surgeon of the Surgical Responsibility Center of the Clinical Hospital, Claudio Quintana.
The events are being investigated by the Third Police Station of Tierra del Fuego and prosecutor Wendoline Acuña.
[READ ALSO: 2018: Impunity in attacks against the LGBTI community in Chile]
“We are in contact with the family members who have indicated that the attack was homophobically motivated, and we will continue to provide them with guidance and support in any way they need in the face of this horrific and despicable act. This outrage must be thoroughly investigated, and the aggravated penalties of the Zamudio Law must be applied against the perpetrators,” said Rolando Jiménez, leader of Movilh.
Valparaíso
Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man also had to be treated at a health center in Valparaíso, after suffering torture due to his sexual orientation at the hands of unknown individuals.
The young man told Movilh that around eight o'clock at night he hitchhiked to Docas, being taken by two men in a white car.
“Everything was going well until the young man started talking on the phone with his partner. That's when the men began insulting him because of his sexual orientation, as well as beating and torturing him. It's a serious and sad situation that makes you feel incredibly helpless,” said Diego Ríos, representative of Movilh-Valparaíso.
[READ ALSO: He sought to migrate to Chile and the consulate demanded an HIV test]
He added that the victim was taken to Laguna Verde, where “they took him out of the car to torture him, extinguished cigarettes on his hands, and stepped on his genitals and hands. He even remembers the moment they hit him on the head with a rock and he fell unconscious. He woke up the next day disoriented and lost,” after which he went to a health center.
“We call on local authorities to provide assistance to victims of this type of abuse, to raise awareness about the LGBTI reality, and to educate LGBTI youth about their rights and the dangers they face, in order to prevent further abuses,” Ríos concluded.
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