Source Milenio

18 June 2018

Three human rights activists from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community were killed and their bodies found yesterday near the municipality of Taxco, Guerrero, reported the National Secretariat for Sexual Diversity of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).

«The National Secretariat of Sexual Diversity of the PRD condemns the brutal murder of Ruben Estrada, Roberto Vega and Carlos Uriel López, defenders of LGBT rights in Taxco, Guerrero,» the political group explained in a bulletin. For the secretariat, the murder of these activists of sexual diversity is «unacceptable». According to the information available, their bodies were located yesterday morning a few meters from the local road Rancho Viejo-Zacapalco, municipality of Taxco de Alarcón, in the northern region of Guerrero. All three had a bullet in the head.

The agency urged that justice institutions investigate the case from a perspective that takes into account sexual orientation or gender identity. «We demand that the investigation into the murder of these young people goes beyond the idea that this is just another incident in the wave of violence that plagues several regions of the country.

The authorities must take into account the negative stereotypes that weigh on people who are not heterosexual and that often cause homicides, «the text said. In addition, the PRD secretariat demanded that the line of investigation of these crimes be «free from prejudice.» «It should be investigated if those who ended the life of Rubén Estrada, Roberto Vega and Carlos Uriel López did so based on their sexual orientation, and prosecute them in accordance with the law,» he added.

«If the foregoing is verified, in the first instance, the full weight of Article 136 of the Criminal Code of Guerrero must be applied, which provides for a penalty of 20 to 50 years in prison for anyone who willfully deprives another person of his or her life based on their sexual orientation,» the statement said.

The news, which is being released on Monday, has already caused an outcry on social networks, where the #NoSonTresGaysSomosTodos hashtag is becoming popular, along with some caricatures of the three victims.

Despite an improvement in rights, hate crimes against the LGBT collective did not diminish in Mexico under Enrique Peña Nieto’s mandate (2012-2018), with 381 murders in the last five years.

http://www.milenio.com/policia/asesinan-a-tres-defensores-de-los-derechos-lgbt-en-guerrero