Young gay man murdered: two LGBTI+ hate crimes in one week in El Salvador

There have been no fatalities from the coronavirus pandemic in this country yet, but at least three hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people have already been documented in 2020. Two of them were murdered in the last week.

Jaime Natividad Rubio, El Salvador, LGBT crimes 2020

March 20, 2020

By Paula Rosales, from San Salvador

Jaime Natividad Rubio Ramos, a 28-year-old gay man, is the second LGBT+ victim murdered in a week in eastern El Salvador. While the country has not yet reported any deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, at least three hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals have been documented in 2020. Two of these murders occurred in the last week.

According to testimonies from local residents, Jaime was socializing with others on March 15 at Laguna de Olomega, in the municipality of El Carmen, department of La Unión, 170 kilometers southeast of the capital. It was the last time he was seen alive. “Residents of the area heard gunshots and the following day found the victim's body. The body had been dead for between ten and twelve hours, so the removal and investigation were carried out on the 16th. We know that Jaime was shot three times,” a source from the Human Rights Ombudsman's Office, who requested anonymity, told Presentes.

Jaime dedicated himself to organizing events and creating choreographies for beauty pageants in different departments of the Central American country. According to sources consulted by Presentes, he was a young entrepreneur who strived to excel in his work.

“Jaime was a very hardworking young man, with a whole world to discover in our country, which doesn't offer many opportunities, especially for members of our LGBTQ+ community, where we are so often marginalized. I feel terrible. It's a murder that truly affects me,” Edgar Zelaya, a fashion designer and Jaime's colleague, told Presentes.

Presentes contacted the police station in the municipality of El Carmen, but they refused to respond. This is not the first time the institution in charge of public safety has denied this media outlet information.

“The prosecutor’s office in La Unión confirms that the deceased, Jaime Natividad Rubio, according to preliminary information gathered at the scene, belonged to the LGBTI community. The investigation is currently focused on determining the victim’s social profile in order to establish a line of inquiry,” a prosecutorial source told Presentes.

Two LGBT+ murders in one week

With Jaime's murder, there are now at least three hate crimes against LGBT+ people reported in El Salvador so far in 2020.

Tita Andrade Umaña, a 32-year-old transgender woman, left her home on Friday, March 6, in the municipality of Intipucá, in the department of La Unión, 180 kilometers southeast of El Salvador's capital. She was found murdered on Saturday, March 7, in an open field in the hamlet of La Agencia, in a rural area in the eastern part of the Central American country.

The first trans femicide of 2020 was perpetrated on January 16 against Briyit Michelle Alas, a 21-year-old trans woman. Briyit was shot five times and then thrown into a ravine in Ciudad Delgado, eight kilometers from the capital. No arrests have yet been made in this crime.

In 2015, Congress reformed the penal code, adding to the aggravated homicide category crimes committed out of hatred based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and gender expression. However, since the reform, no case has resulted in a conviction under this classification.

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