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By Paula Rosales, from San Salvador

[News updated on November 12]

Jade Camila Díaz was found dead on Saturday, November 9, floating under a bridge over the Torola River in the Morazán department, in northeastern El Salvador, police reported. This murder brings the number of hate crimes against transgender women this year to at least six. Two of them, Jade's and Anahí Miranda's, occurred in the last two weeks.

Jade, 27, was a community activist. She was part of the Manos en Acción Association, an organization in the department of Morazán, founded to empower the LGBTI community regarding their rights. The association is part of a permanent working group with state institutions in Morazán.

Jade was reported missing on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the rural area of ​​Lolotiquillo, where she lived. According to the police report, an unidentified woman reported to the 911 emergency unit the discovery of a body in the river, so officers went to the area and located the body. 

“The body had a rope around its waist with a stone attached,” a police officer from Morazán told Presentes, declining to provide further details. The body was found between the municipalities of Osicala and Meanguera. 

The prosecutor's office reported the discovery of Jade's body, but without providing further details.

Morazán | ⚠️We regret to inform you that the body of Jade Díaz has been found in the waters of the Torola River. It is estimated that she had been dead for 3 to 4 days. The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy. https://t.co/RjyhJOHvBh
— Attorney General's Office of El Salvador (@FGR_SV) November 9, 2019
 

[READ ALSO: A 27-year-old trans woman was murdered in San Salvador]

Díaz's murder has caused concern among the trans population in the eastern part of the country, since in October a trans teenager was stabbed in the streets of the department of San Miguel.

“Transphobic violence has been unleashed and that makes us feel vulnerable,” Tatiana Molina, an LGBTI human rights defender and friend of Jade, told Presentes.

On November 11, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed its "repudiation and deep dismay" at the murder. "Jade, along with the organization COMCAVIS Trans, tirelessly defended the rights of LGBTI people and recently participated in consultations for the development of El Salvador's national chapter of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS)," the agency reported.

The UNHCR also called on the authorities to "conduct the necessary investigations and prevent alleged hate crimes from going unpunished." This aligns recent MIRPS meeting in Mexico Mexico City Declaration adopted a week earlier.

[READ ALSO: Hate crimes remain unpunished in El Salvador: calls for investigation ]

Discriminated against because of her identity

Jade worked in restaurants in the department of Morazán, serving customers, but since undergoing her female hormone transition two years ago, she hasn't been able to find employment. With no other job options, she had to resort to sex work on the streets of San Miguel.

“She told me that when she worked as a gay man she had no problems, but when she transitioned to a trans woman she was rejected for jobs. She complained that they made excuses and refused to hire her anymore,” Tatiana said.

Jade was afraid to go out on the streets after the attack against a trans teenager that occurred on the same avenue where she worked in the San Miguel department.

[READ ALSO: Attempted murder of a transgender teenager in El Salvador]

The State, silent

The Solidarity Association to Promote Human Development (ASPIDH) Arcoiris Trans denounced “the wave of violence and murders committed against our trans colleagues in El Salvador,” the organization stated on its social media.

The organization Communicating and Empowering Trans Women (COMCAVIS TRANS) demanded that the State conduct “an immediate and diligent investigation of the facts and undertake urgent measures to guarantee the protection of LGBTI people.”

Nayib Bukele, who took office on June 1, eliminated five government ministries just hours after beginning his term, including the Ministry of Social Inclusion, created in 2009 by the then-leftist Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). Its work focused on advancing the rights and development of LGBTI people. At the time of writing, the government had not issued any statement regarding Jade's murder.

In 2018, the country recorded a homicide rate of 50.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest in the world.

[READ ALSO: Frida Sofía, the trans woman who fought against addiction in the working-class neighborhoods of San Salvador ]