One year without Sofía Fernández: the family of the trans woman demands justice for her death in a police station
Sofía Fernández, a 39-year-old trans woman, died in the 5th police station in Derqui, after being detained under circumstances that remain unclear a year later. Her body showed signs of beatings and torture.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. The family of Sofía Fernández, the trans woman who died in the 5th police station in Derqui , Buenos Aires province, continues to demand justice. April 10 marked the one-year anniversary of that night when, according to the police report, the 39-year-old woman died in a cell after being detained under circumstances that remain unclear. The autopsy determined that she died from airway obstruction. Her body showed signs of beatings and torture.
Sofia was a language teacher. The discrimination she faced motivated her to seek another profession. On April 17, 2023, she was about to begin her nursing studies. Her sister and niece remember seeing her very enthusiastic. She had “everything bought” to start the course. She was also beginning the process of legally changing her gender identity.
The case of Sofía, and due to her family's persistent demands, is under investigation. In September 2023, prosecutor Gonzalo Agüero was recused. Until then, he had not investigated the reasons for Sofía's arrest or the circumstances surrounding her death. He had also denied the family access to the case file.
the family's lawyer, Ignacio Fernández Camillo who spoke to Presentes , the investigation has been progressing well since then. The case is being handled by prosecutor Esteban Álvarez from the San Isidro prosecutor's office and gender-based violence prosecutor Manuel Cayuela.
On the first anniversary of her death, Sofia's family organized a march for Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. in front of the 5th Police Station in Derqui, demanding justice .
The key points of the case
Initially, the case was classified as a “suspicious death.” But the investigation didn't make much progress until September 2023. By then, the family had already requested the recusal of prosecutor Gonzalo Agüero, who has since been removed from the case.
Currently, the forensic work is underway, the autopsy report is being prepared, and the medical reports are being reviewed. Attorney Ignacio Fernández Camillo believes the prosecution team's work is good.
“The Attorney General’s Office collaborated extensively regarding the autopsy report, complying with the Minnesota protocol (on the investigation of violent deaths) . This allows for obtaining any data on the mechanism of death and the collection of evidence. That information was obtained, but it is being reconstructed ,” Fernández Camillo acknowledged.
According to the autopsy, Sofi showed signs of torture and beatings, but it was not possible to determine the involvement of third parties in her death.
“We are finishing reconstructing the chronology from when she was arrested (April 8) until she was found dead, on the night of April 10. It is the most difficult part because of the police silence and the complexity of the process,” lawyer Fernández Camilla told Presentes .
Between April 8th and April 10th, ten police officers were stationed at the 5th Precinct in Derqui. They were suspended for 60 days , but returned to their posts once that period had elapsed. To date, the internal affairs division is handling the officers' cases, and their families have received no updates.
A year without Sofia
Since learning of her death, Sofia's family's life has changed completely. Their struggle to get justice and investigate the cause of her death lasted almost the entire last year. Today, they have more hope in the investigation.
“There are no words to express how one feels when their own sister is murdered,” Mabel Valdez, her sister, told Agencia Presentes . “Especially when you gradually learn (or imagine) all the ordeal she suffered in that cursed 5th Precinct in Derqui,” she added. “I hope justice moves quickly. That everyone, regardless of who they were, pays the price without any privileges for anyone,” Mabel expressed.
What happened to Sofia?
Sofia was last seen by her family on Friday, April 7. The following day, a patrol car went to the town of Villa Rosa, a few kilometers from Presidente Derqui, to inform them that their sister was being held for a background check. They were told that she had participated in a robbery.
The next day, the family went to the police station, but they weren't allowed to see her. Police officers said the crime she had committed was against property. Finally, in the early morning of April 11, they were notified that Sofía had been found dead inside her cell.
That night, in the early hours of Tuesday, April 11, the Gendarmerie arrived with a psychologist to inform the family that they had found Sofia dead inside the cell.
At that time, they told her they didn't know if it had been a sudden death or cardiac arrest. However, after the autopsy, it was revealed that Sofía died from "asphyxiation with airway obstruction."
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