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Opening photo: Radio Uno Formosa

On Sunday, July 18, Fátima Belén Barrios, a 29-year-old transgender woman, died at the Guadalupe neighborhood police station in Formosa. Around 6:00 a.m., she had been taken to the station from her home after a neighbor called 911 to report a fight, the prosecutor's office told Presentes. An hour later, Fátima died at the station under suspicious circumstances that are currently under investigation. Her family blames the police.

In the early hours of Sunday, July 18, the owner of the property where Fátima rented, who was also her neighbor, called the police to report a physical altercation between Fátima and another woman. Following the call, provincial police officers went to the residence and took Fátima and a friend into custody. “When the police arrived, Fátima became somewhat aggressive because she felt that a police presence was unwarranted, much less an arrest. A scuffle ensued with the officers,” recounted Daniel Suizer, the lawyer representing Fátima's family. “It was a disturbance of the peace, that is, a minor offense. It wasn't even a crime or a criminal offense; it was a violation for loud music and shouting,” he clarified.  

The case is titled “Preliminary proceedings regarding the investigation of the cause of death” and is file number 739/21. It is in Court No. 2, the assigned judge is Marcelo Lopez Picabea, and the investigation is being carried out by Prosecutor's Office No. 4, headed by prosecutor Natalia Verónica Tafetani. 

The Prosecutor's Office explains that Fatima was not under arrest. "She was taken into custody along with another trans woman for disturbing the peace in a public place, as it was a minor offense. In these cases, they are simply taken into custody, their information is recorded, the case is opened, and they remain free."

The police officers involved in the operation are being investigated administratively by the police force, but not yet by the judiciary. “First, we’ll wait to determine the cause of death, and then we’ll know. For now, there’s no evidence of third-party involvement,” the prosecutor stated.

The police version 

According to the police report, Fatima suffered a medical episode at the police station, and when the medical personnel from the Provincial Integrated System of Emergencies and Catastrophes (SIPEC) arrived, they confirmed that she no longer had vital signs. 

In statements to local media , the commissioner and head of Regional Unit No. 1 of the Formosa Police, Víctor Téllez, said that “the woman died in an office at the police station. She was never locked in a regular cell. And much less did she suffer aggression or police violence during the procedure.”

Prosecutor's office awaits results

The prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Natalia Tafetani, told Presentes that the results of the sample analyses are pending. “They are being processed at the Forensic Investigation Center of our judicial branch.” She estimated that they will have the full report “this week or next.” 

Furthermore, he specified that “at the moment there are no indications of external injuries. It is completely ruled out that it was caused by any external factor, such as blows or injuries, because there was nothing on her body that could indicate a cause of death involving third-party intervention.” He added: “We have the initial blood and urine test results, which showed the presence of drugs and alcohol in high doses. The death was caused by some factor that we still don't know ; it may or may not be intoxication.”

Why are they denouncing police violence? 

However, both the family and their lawyer maintain that Fatima died from “police brutality .” “We base this on photographs of the body. They show her with bruises on her forehead (a skull fracture), injuries to her shins and knees, and blows to her nose and face,” Suizer explained.

The lawyer informed Presentes that statements were taken from other transgender people who were present, “which show evidence of a beating by the officers inside the police vehicle.” “It’s deplorable. She was killed by police hands: I have no doubt about it. The goal of supporting the family is to show that Fátima did not die of natural causes as has been claimed, because she had bruises on her body that suggest otherwise,” he added.

We all have rights

Antonia Palacios, coordinator of the Red Libertad Positiva Formosa (Positive Freedom Network of Formosa), an organization supporting the family, said they are awaiting the autopsy results. Although the tests indicated that Fátima was under the influence of substances, her loved ones believe the cause of death was something else. 

On Monday, July 19, Fátima's family and various organizations in Formosa held a rally in front of the local police station. There was also a rally in Buenos Aires. A press conference was held in Formosa, in which Fátima's mother participated. “They told me my daughter died, that she died of an overdose. But before that, they told me she was being defiant, that she wouldn't give them her information. I'm sure she was beaten to death,” said Beatriz Bogado. “I don't want this to happen again to any trans girl because we all have rights , her mother emphasized to Radio Uno Formosa .

They are calling for an investigation into the police.

In statements to La Mañana en Vivo de Formosa, Commissioner Téllez reported that, according to institutional protocol, the police officers who acted in the procedure of Fátima's arrest were subjected to administrative proceedings to investigate conduct and/or determine responsibility in the incident.

“The first measure we are asking the judge for is that another force, such as the Gendarmerie, the Coast Guard, or the Federal Police, intervene in the investigation. The police cannot investigate themselves,” said the family's lawyer, who has not yet joined the case as a plaintiff.

In this regard, he explained that Formosa has Resolution No. 2418 of 2005, which stipulates that in any situation involving the provincial police, another force must intervene. "They didn't, and that raises many suspicions," Suizer pointed out.

With this death at a police station, the number of transgender women killed by police in less than a week has risen to two. Fátima joins Victoria Núñez, 27, who died in Paraná, Entre Ríos, on Wednesday, July 21, following a police intervention .