Trans woman murdered in El Salvador: activists demand investigation

Preliminary reports indicate that Katherine, a trans woman, was shot to death on September 3 in Ilopango, 14 km from the capital.

September 11, 2020

By Paula Rosales, from San Salvador

LGBTI organizations in El Salvador condemned the murder of Katherine Rosmery Duvall, a trans woman whose crime remains unsolved by authorities. Preliminary reports from the prosecutor's office indicate that Katherine was shot to death on the night of September 3 in the densely populated Altavista residential area of Ilopango, 14 kilometers east of the capital. However, the circumstances surrounding her death have not yet been fully established. State institutions have also not provided further details about the incident or any arrests of those responsible.

Katherine worked as a tarot reader, and the last anyone heard from her was that she was preparing for her birthday celebration. “My birthday is almost here, my loves,” she wrote on September 3rd on her Facebook account.

The director of the Solidarity Association to Promote Human Development (ASPIDH) , Mónica Linares, told Presentes that two years ago Duvall had filed a complaint for police harassment.

“Katherine was being harassed by the police. The police were the ones extorting her, they would come to her house and extort her, taking televisions and things like that. And they threatened her that if she didn't give them what they wanted, they would press charges and arrest her,” Linares said.

Presentes requested official information about Katherine's death from the National Civil Police, but the institution did not respond.

“We demand that the Attorney General's Office and the National Civil Police conduct the necessary investigations to bring justice for this latest crime committed against our community. We ask the government to guarantee the safety of our sisters. Trans women are not safe! We demand justice!” the Salvadoran organization AMATE stated in a press release . HT also condemned the murder, “asking the universe to grant strength to her family and friends, and at the same time demanding that the relevant authorities conduct a thorough investigation and that the full weight of the law be brought to bear on those who took her life.”

Trans people subjected to state violence in El Salvador

The report “Stop Trans Genocide,” presented in 2019 by ASPIDH and the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Trans People (REDLACTRANS), details how trans women in El Salvador are subjected to violence by state institutions. According to the study, trans women reported experiencing some form of discrimination and harassment from state institutions: 46% in hospitals, 36% in the police, 6% in the armed forces and municipal offices, and 3% in universities.

“We demand that the Attorney General's Office and the National Civil Police conduct the necessary investigations to bring justice for this new crime committed against our community. We ask the government to guarantee the safety of our colleagues,” said the Amate organization.

This is the second death of a trans woman in El Salvador so far in 2020. In January, Briyit Michelle Alas was murdered in the municipality of Ciudad Delgado.

In 2015, El Salvador's Congress reformed the Penal Code to criminalize offenses based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. However, to date, all such cases remain unpunished.

Only three of the 600 murders against trans women that have occurred since 1992 have been prosecuted: Camila Díaz, Anahy Miranda and Tita Andrade.

We are Present

We are committed to a type of journalism that delves deeply into the realm of the world and offers in-depth research, combined with new technologies and narrative formats. We want the protagonists, their stories, and their struggles to be present.