Neo-Nazis tortured a young bisexual man in Santiago and broadcast it on social media

A 29-year-old man was beaten and tortured by a group of neo-Nazis after they discovered his sexual orientation. The beating was broadcast live on social media.

August 20, 2020

By Airam Fernández , from Santiago

[News updated at 1 PM, Santiago time]

A 29-year-old bisexual man was beaten and tortured by a group of neo-Nazis squatting in a house in the Estación Central district, in the southwestern part of Santiago. The attack took place on June 5th, and the victim suffered a fractured jaw and bruises. According to the police, the victim shared the house with his attackers after they learned of his sexual orientation. The beating was also broadcast live on Facebook. Four people have been arrested in connection with the incident since August 18th.

The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh) spoke with the victim, Francisco Aranda. He authorized the public release of his testimony. Aranda, a tattoo artist, clarified that he has no connection to neo-Nazi ideology and said he met his attackers several years ago. He arrived at the squat in February of this year due to a temporary financial situation. He said that during the last few months he had problems living with the rest of the group, and when he decided to move elsewhere, they attacked him. “They called me 'faggot' and 'queer' (…) They recorded me, took photos of me, even took the time to take selfies with me naked and tied up, bloody and semi-conscious (…) I suffered a maxillofacial fracture and a fractured rib. I arrived with hypothermia because I was tied up for six hours, they constantly threw ice water on me and never stopped hitting me. I lost consciousness and there came a moment when I truly accepted that they were going to kill me. I couldn't take it anymore and just gave in to what was coming,” Aranda told Movilh.

“I don’t need to tell everyone about my bisexuality, since it’s a personal matter and it’s enough for me that my family knows,” she said. She added that she decided to share her story “so that it becomes public knowledge and people are wary of these individuals, because unfortunately this will continue to happen if we don’t change as a society.”

Who are the aggressors?

On Tuesday, August 18, after a nearly two-month investigation, the Special Police Investigations Brigade (BIPE) of the Investigative Police (PDI) arrested Rodrigo González, Angelo Sánchez, Betsabet Soto, and her son, a minor under 16 years of age. They were charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault resulting in very serious injuries. The 6th Guarantee Court ordered pretrial detention for three of them. The minor was placed under house arrest.

Commissioner Juan Pardo, acting head of the Metropolitan BIPE (Special Investigations Brigade), confirmed that the attackers targeted the young man because of his sexual orientation. “Due to his sexual orientation, these neo-Nazi individuals held the victim captive for approximately five hours, inflicting injuries with blunt objects and administering electric shocks to his body,” he told the press.

Pardo explained that the attackers belong to a cell called La Rapada. Two of them are linked to Legion 38, a neo-Nazi group that in 2014 stabbed to death Isaac Araya, a young punk from the Maipú district. Since June 2019, Christopher “El Bestia” Hidalgo has been serving a 10-year sentence for this crime.

Zamudio Law and the demands of activism

The prosecutor from the North Central Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office, Pamela Contreras, told the press that the young man was beaten, stripped naked, and tied to a post in the backyard of the house. She also said that during the attack he was threatened with rape. The beating left him with a fractured jaw and bruises all over his body.

Contreras said that in this case, the defendants face a minimum sentence of ten years and one day. This is in addition to any penalties that may apply under the aggravating circumstances of the Zamudio Law, passed in 2012 and inspired by the hate crime against Daniel Zamudio, a young gay man murdered by a neo-Nazi gang in circumstances similar to those in this case.

The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh) is considering filing a lawsuit. It has already formally requested the Ministry of the Interior to intervene: “We have provided the Ministry of the Interior with all the background information on the case, so that the government can join the proceedings by filing a lawsuit, and also by providing the victim with all the legal and psychological support they need,” said Oscar Rementería, spokesperson for the organization. He added: “It is a despicable, appalling act that deserves the condemnation of all of society.”

According to a study by Movilh, based on figures from the Judiciary, between 2012 and May 31, 2020, a total of 465 lawsuits were filed under the Zamudio Law nationwide. Only 23.7% of these cases resulted in a ruling, the majority of which were unfavorable to the victims .

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