Friday, July 26, was the last day of the trial of one of the accused in the alleged murder of a young transgender man, Tehuel de la Torre, who disappeared on March 11, 2021. His body has never been found. This is the first time in the country that justice has taken up a case of alleged homicide of a trans man, and also the first time that the aggravating factor of hate crime due to gender identity could be retained.
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With our correspondent in La Plata, Noémie Lehouelleur
“ Where is Tehuel? “, is the question chanted by hundreds of activists LGBTQ+ present all day Friday in front of the gates of the courthouse of La Plata, capital of the province of Buenos Aires. I consider it crucial and ethical to be hereFlor Guimarroes said in court. Many more citizens should be there. We need society to understand the fragility of the lives of transvestite and trans people, not only in Argentina, but around the world. »
Hate crime based on gender identity
Tehuel de la Torre disappeared on March 11, 2021, in northern Buenos Aires. The 21-year-old trans man had gone to a job interview with Luis Alberto Ramos, the accused. His body was never found, but stains of his blood and burnt bits of his clothes were discovered at the home of Luis Alberto Ramos, known for his violence and homophobic and transphobic remarks.
If the aggravating factor of hate crime due to gender identity is retained, it would be a first in Argentina. This is what Tehuel’s mother, Norma, is asking: “ I hope the judges listened carefully and will sentence him to a heavy sentence. That is what I want most. »
The lawyers for the civil party and the public prosecutor have requested life imprisonment. The verdict will be delivered on August 30. The other co-accused, Oscar Montes, who was also present that day at Luis Alberto Ramos’s house, will be tried in court at a later date.