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Homophobia in Córdoba: Man arrested for attacking gay couple with a machete
A 54-year-old man threatened a gay couple, attacked them with a machete, and was arrested after a raid. Local municipalities expressed their solidarity with the assaulted couple.
AGUA DE ORO, Córdoba. A gay couple from La Granja, a town in the Sierras Chicas region of Córdoba province, filed a complaint with the courts alleging repeated episodes of violence and discrimination based on their sexual orientation. According to Juan, one of the victims, who spoke to Agua de Oro Noticias (ADON), the conflicts began after they ended a business relationship with a local resident, a matter that is currently the subject of a legal dispute. Since then, they have endured homophobic insults, threats, and harassment.
La Granja and Agua de Oro are neighboring tourist towns in the Sierras Chicas mountains, in the center of Córdoba province, known for the beauty of their trails and waterways. The couple owns a well-known café in La Granja. The most serious incident occurred on Tuesday, October 27, in a commercial area near Plaza del Encuentro in Agua de Oro. Juan recounted that they were traveling in a car with a worker when they were intercepted by the man who was reported, who first hit Nicolás inside the vehicle and then took a machete he kept in his car and began attacking him.
“He came across me with the machete and started hitting Nico. He was saying, ‘I’m going to kill you, you piece of shit,’” Juan recounted. He also noted that the worker who was with them intervened to try to stop the attack and that several people who were there witnessed and filmed what happened.
According to his testimony, after leaving, the aggressor approached again with his vehicle and performed another intimidating maneuver.
Juan confirmed that the episodes of violence and threats continued in the following days. “We are very afraid, we don’t sleep at night, we think this guy could break into the house and kill us,” he said, describing how these situations affected his daily life.
The couple filed police reports regarding the incident. At the Agua de Oro police station, complaints were filed for assault and threats. Juan explained that they decided to go public with what happened because they were “tired of living in fear” and of experiencing violence due to their sexual orientation.
The investigation is being led by the investigating prosecutor of Jesús María, Guillermo Monti. According to ADON, the formal complaint, images of the injuries, and videos of the assault recorded by witnesses have been added to the case file. The accused was finally arrested yesterday. The measure was ordered after a raid and the analysis of the evidence gathered in the investigation. He is charged with aggravated coercion with the use of a weapon and minor injuries.
The prosecutor reported that “as a result of the raid carried out today, with the positive seizure of items related to the investigated event, plus the analysis of the evidence gathered in the investigation, the indictment and arrest of a 54-year-old man was ordered for the crimes of aggravated coercion by the use of weapons and minor injuries, and said arrest was made effective today.”.
The municipalities condemned the act
Both the municipality of Agua de Oro and La Granja, as well as other towns in the area, publicly condemned the events. “The Municipality of La Granja strongly condemns the recent acts of violence suffered by two residents belonging to our LGBTIQ+ community. We do not want discrimination, intolerance, or aggression to have a place in our town. The Gender and Diversity Department, together with the entire municipal administration, is fully available to the affected residents and anyone who needs to consult or receive advice regarding situations of gender-based violence. We continue working every day to build a more inclusive, safe, and violence-free municipality.”.
This article was originally published in "Agua de Oro Noticias, una voz colectiva," an independent media outlet in the Sierras Chicas region of Córdoba. It was edited for publication in Presentes.
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