The LGBT+ community bids farewell to Cecilio de Jesús Reyes, another victim of hate crime in Veracruz
Cecilio was missing for four days until his body was found with signs of torture.
Share
The LGBT+ community of Veracruz and his family mourn Cecilio de Jesús Reyes, brutally murdered during the week of September 13. That day was the last time this beloved party organizer was seen. He was standing in the doorway of a bar when several people took him away, according to Julio Segura, a diversity activist who spoke with witnesses.
His body, showing signs of torture, was found four days later.
“The statements and what is known indicate that Cecilio was last seen on September 13 outside a bar, and that some people picked him up and took him to an unknown location. In the following days, the family filed a report with the State Search Commission, and a missing person alert was issued. Unfortunately, days later, his body was found with signs of torture,” he commented.
So far, state authorities have not provided any information about the investigation into this crime.
Veracruz denies hate crimes
Activist Jazz Bustamante stated that one of the problems facing the state of Veracruz is the impunity surrounding these murders. They are not investigated as hate crimes but are instead classified as simple homicide, even though the legal framework allows for aggravated homicide.
“According to the State Attorney General's Office, there are currently zero hate crimes in Veracruz motivated by the aggravating factors that we managed to promote in the 2018 reform to Article 144 of the Veracruz State Penal Code, which addresses the aggravating factors: hatred, cruelty, treachery, advantage, sexual abuse, gender identity or sexual orientation of the victim,” he stated.
He noted that civil organizations have identified 12 hate crimes this year. Last year there were 30, and in 2020 there were 29.
Cecilio helped everyone
The family prefers not to speak to the press while the investigation is ongoing. But they want to be remembered as the cheerful and kind man he was.
Cecilio was very close to his mother, Alicia, whom he considered a pillar of strength in his life. She gave him the support he needed to grow, start his own business, and succeed. Her passing last November was a devastating blow for him.
Julio remembers him as a very empathetic person, always willing to help. He recounts that even though they were competitors in the business at one point, Cecilio was willing to help him one day when he had trouble covering an event.
“I had an event coming up and I ran out of materials, specifically fabrics, and I urgently needed to get them—these canvases that are hung in the halls to have a better view (…) Cecilio readily offered to help me; in the end, that was his nature, to be a companion, regardless of belonging to the community, simply because of the empathy he had for his fellow human beings,” he stated.
Now he and everyone else hope that justice will be served and that Cecilio's murder will not go unpunished like so many others.
“When it comes to cases involving the LGBTI+ community, impunity persists because it's seen as cases they brought upon themselves, as if it's not worth investigating unless it's a high-profile case ( …) the existing laws need to be enforced. There's a very good, very rich, very broad legal framework that could give us the certainty that, if applied correctly, impunity rates would drop significantly in the state of Veracruz, and I would venture to say in much of Mexico. What happens? The law isn't applied correctly,” Bustamante stated.
We are present
We are committed to journalism that delves into the territories and conducts thorough investigations, combined with new technologies and narrative formats. We want the protagonists, their stories, and their struggles to be present.
SUPPORT US
FOLLOW US
Related notes
We are present
This and other stories are not usually on the media agenda. Together we can bring them to light.