Two LGBT+ people murdered in less than 24 hours in Guatemala

A 15-year-old boy and a trans woman were murdered this weekend in Guatemala.

October 14, 2019

By Pilar Salazar, from Guatemala City

Vidalia Molina Delgado was a trans woman from El Salvador, but she had been living in Mazatenango for several years after being forcibly displaced by violence in her country of origin. On the night of Friday the 11th, unknown assailants entered her business, “Bar Mery,” located on 2nd Avenue in Zone 1 of Mazatenango (160 kilometers from Guatemala City), and shot her in the face and chest, according to the police report.

On Saturday at 5:30 a.m., Ramiro Duarte, a 15-year-old gay teenager (originally from the El Mitchal neighborhood) who had been kidnapped, was found dead. His body had been riddled with eight bullets. Neighbors said they heard gunshots at 11:35 p.m. on Friday in the village of Seneca Morales, Izabal (308 km from Guatemala City). This was the same night Vidalia was murdered.

The National Diversity Network, Otrans Queens of the Night, Visibles Collective, and the Human Rights Ombudsman's Office issued statements condemning the incident and demanding an investigation to find those responsible for both deaths, which occurred in less than 24 hours.

Carlos Romero, coordinator of the National Network for Sexual Diversity, told this media outlet that to date, the " Observatory of Violent Deaths Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity" has registered 15 murders of LGBT+ people in Guatemala so far this year.

Mary*, a friend of Vidalia's, said she had already received extortion threats. She added that a complaint had already been filed with the Public Prosecutor's Office regarding this matter. Vidalia's remains were transported to her country of origin for burial.

According to Saskia Subary *, a friend of Ramiro's, the young man had been kicked out of his parents' house, gone to live with his grandmother, and looked for work to survive. Saskia emphasizes the fear of freedom among those who live in that area. “Here, we dress as women in secret. If we do it openly, we face discrimination and rejection. Morales is a very macho place, and we live in fear that something might happen to us.” Ramiro had participated this year in the “Miss Gay Red Moon” pageant in the same department, under the name Maris Bell Brown.

Ramiro Duarte was 15 years old. He was brutally murdered.

Sexual diversity advocate Henry España told this publication that the murder of the teenager "showed brutality, as evidenced by the eight bullet wounds to the face, as well as the fact that the victim was kidnapped and then dumped. For this reason, the Human Rights Ombudsman's Office (PDH) issued a statement demanding a swift investigation from the Public Prosecutor's Office to determine whether the crimes were motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity."

The statement read: “The Human Rights Ombudsman's Office (@PDHgt) condemns the violent deaths of two members of the LGBTQ+ community, which occurred in the last 24 hours in Izabal and Suchitepéquez. It expresses its solidarity and condolences to their families, friends, and the LGBTQ+ community. It demands that the Public Prosecutor's Office (@MPguatemala) and the National Civil Police (@PNCdeGuatemala) conduct the corresponding investigations to find those responsible. It rejects all acts of violence against any person.”

On May 4, 2017, Representative Sandra Morán, of the Convergence Caucus, introduced a bill to punish hate crimes (Bill 5278), with the goal of ensuring that people live free from discrimination based on their religion, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. However, this bill has not yet been addressed in the Congress of the Republic.

*The names of these sources are listed under pseudonyms to protect their safety.

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