Mexico: Two LGBT activists who had been missing are identified in a clandestine grave
Moisés and Brian, LGBT+ activists, had disappeared along with others in the most recent case of mass disappearances in Mexico. Organizations are concerned, and families are demanding answers.
Share
MEXICO CITY, Mexico. On October 12, the identities of Moisés Tomás Juárez Abarca, an LGBT+ activist and coordinator of Sexual Diversity for the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) in the state of Guerrero, and Brian Josué Vargas Hernández, also a member of LGBT+ groups .
Moisés and Brian disappeared on September 1st along with five other people in what would be the most recent case of mass disappearance reported in Mexico. Groups of family members found the bodies of 17 people in seven clandestine graves, including Moisés and Brian.
That day, local media reported that an armed group in vans with logos of the Attorney General's Office of the State of Guerrero stormed into a rehabilitation center in Acapulco and forcibly took away Moisés Abarca, 38, Brian Vargas, 25, Jesús Arroyo, 38, Eric Chávez, 23, Julio Pérez, 15, María Guzmán and Andrés Delgado.
On October 12, the Prosecutor's Office confirmed the identity of Moisés, Brian, Eric, and Jesús from the group of seven who were disappeared and later found in clandestine graves by groups of families searching for their loved ones.
One disappearance per hour
This occurs in a context where, according to an analysis of figures from the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons (RNPDNO) by the journalistic project " Where Do the Disappeared Go?" in And where widespread violence in Guerrero has also intensified due to the early election period.
“Talking about what happened to our comrade Moi is difficult for us (the activists) because of the anxiety we are experiencing in Guerrero, day after day. The violence is very intense,” commented activist Obed Benítez of the Centro de Apoyo Trans-Vive collective in an interview.
“Not only because of organized crime, but also because of the electoral climate. We try to be activists as much as we can, to speak out and denounce what our comrade Moi experienced, as much as we can. With all the violence that has been happening, from the mountains to the coast, it is more difficult, and within this context we try to take care of ourselves ,” he added.
Family members denounced the inaction of the Prosecutor's Office
The Prosecutor's Office reported on September 9 that the search group was led by agents of the Ministerial Investigative Police, members of the Mexican Army, National Guard, State Police and State Commission for the Search of Disappeared Persons.
Family and friends reported that the Prosecutor's Office did not immediately launch a search. They also received no updates on the investigation. Faced with this inaction, they protested on more than one occasion at various locations in Acapulco. During one of these protests, they chanted, " Hand them over, dead or alive, just hand them over now!"
On September 30, the Acapulco Memory, Truth and Justice Collective (made up of relatives of missing persons) ended its search days in the vicinity of El Veladero National Park , an ecological reserve located in the upper part of the Acapulco bay.
That day, 17 bodies were found in seven clandestine graves. Among them were four bodies from the group of seven people who had disappeared from the rehabilitation center.
“The Prosecutor’s Office continues to be very insensitive in its treatment of families searching for their missing loved ones. The passivity and inaction in searching for them alive is also worrying, because it is the search collectives, not the Prosecutor’s Office, who are finding the missing people,” Benítez adds.
On October 6, the Guerrero State Attorney General's Office reported that Brian, Jesús, and Eric had been identified. On October 12, the Attorney General's Office confirmed the identity of Moisés Abarca and released his body to his family three days later.
Moses and Brian did community work
This case of mass disappearance gained national attention because of Moisés Abarca. He is the person about whom the most information is available, due to his role as coordinator of the Sexual Diversity area of the PRD political party in Guerrero and because he is a renowned activist defending the human rights of LGBTI+ people in that state.
Moisés and Brian were doing community work at the Spiritual Renewal Addiction Treatment and Prevention Center, located in the Vista Hermosa neighborhood of the port of Acapulco, from where they disappeared on September 1.
Obed Benítez comments that activist Moisés Abarca was in the process of running for public office in the 2024 elections.
Widespread and political violence: LGBT activists are afraid
LGBT activists in Guerrero fear that Moisés Abarca's political and activist role is linked to his disappearance and subsequent murder. Furthermore, the escalating violence in Guerrero is another reason why they find it difficult to demonstrate and demand justice when the human rights crisis is affecting LGBTI+ people in that state.
In addition, political violence against those seeking public office is on the rise. The research study "Elections and Violence in Mexico by the Noria research center warns that "violent practices during election periods are not limited to candidates, but also affect current and former officials."
In the last electoral process, 2020-2021, the reported political violence consisted of: attacks in 55% of cases, murders in 31%, and enforced disappearances in 3.1%. In 43.8% of cases, “armed groups” were reported as responsible, according to data from that investigation.
“Among LGBT activists who are about to begin the electoral process or are running for public office, we say that we must be very vigilant and take care of ourselves. This is mainly because it seems it will be a very difficult and unsafe electoral process,” warns Obed Benitez.
He adds, "There are no guarantees of safety in Guerrero, neither for running for office nor for engaging in activism."
It is not known who took them and why.
According to several local press reports, it was Julio's aunt who received a call from the manager of the rehabilitation center. He told her that armed men dressed in Attorney General's uniforms had taken Julio and six other people.
Different versions of what happened circulated in the media. They all agree that the disappearance of the seven people occurred in two separate incidents. First, Jesús, Eric, and Julio, who were receiving rehabilitation care at the facility, were taken away as a group. After this initial group disappearance, activist Moisés Juárez Abarca received a phone call regarding his community work there.
Moisés arrived with Brian, María, and Andrés. What we know afterward is that the same armed group returned to the location and forcibly took them away in trucks bearing the logos of the Guerrero State Attorney General's Office.
According to this article from Animal Político , Brian's mother "said that the state prosecutor's office assured the families that the agency did not carry out any operation at said rehabilitation center and did not deprive the young people of their freedom."
To date, the Prosecutor's Office has not provided any explanation of what happened that day , why, or who abducted, murdered, and left Moisés, Brian, Jesús, and Eric in clandestine graves. The Prosecutor's Office says they are continuing the search for María Guzmán, Andrés Delgado, and 15-year-old Julio Pérez.
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.
SUPPORT US
FOLLOW US
Related Notes
We Are Present
This and other stories don't usually make the media's attention. Together, we can make them known.