Hate crimes, attacks and disappearances are the cases of violence and discrimination documented by the Observatory of human rights violations of LGTBIQ+ people in Nicaragua, of the La Corriente Feminist Association, in the period between January and March 2024.
In January, four cases were documented (two hate crimes and two attacks); in February two cases (a hate crime and a disappearance) and in March three cases of assault.
Related news: Another hate crime: The body of Jasuhara Brown Dixon, Miss Gay Nicaragua 2011, is found in a pond
In Managua, six cases were reported; Masaya, Carazo and León one in each department. Seven of the discriminations were perpetrated by unknown people, one by his partner and one by a neighbor.
The documented cases
Violence and discrimination against the LGBT+ population was concentrated in six trans women and three homosexuals, according to data revealed by the Observatory in its report. “Trans women have been victims of serious and lethal forms of violence, which appears as a trend in recent years, where trans-femicides have been increasing,” she mentions.
Dereck José Gómez Tijerino, a 22-year-old young homosexual, was found dead on January 7, 2024 in the Plaza El Sol sector, very close to the National Police facilities.
For the hate crime, 27-year-old Kevin José González Matamoros was arrested as the alleged perpetrator of the crime, who after investigations was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
«Josuhara Brown Dixon, a trans woman, was found lifeless in the Sábalos River, located in District VI of Managua, with evident signs of violence; However, the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML) concluded that the victim died from submersion. To date, the National Police has not provided any official version of this death,” highlights the report on Dixon’s death.
Another hate crime was against “Teresa”, a 31-year-old trans woman, who was found dead in a vacant lot in the Villa Nueva region, Ciudad Sandino. The event occurred on the afternoon of February 25.
«The victim worked as a street entertainer for La Gigantona, an old street tradition in several cities in Nicaragua. Contrary to the first presumptions of suicide, Teresa’s relatives declared that they had received death threats, demanding an investigation by the National Police, given that due to the way in which she was found it was impossible for her to have committed suicide,” says the organization.
Three trans women were physically attacked by strangers. One of them was beaten by a man who saw her dancing at her workplace. Another trans woman was beaten by a stranger while she was on her way to work.
«… the aggressor had repeatedly prowled his workplace; At the time of the attack he shouted at him: “You bastard, you’re going to die,” the document states.
“Some of the people who were passing through the place and witnessed the brutal attack limited themselves to recording, while other people prepared to help her, without any news of any police intervention to capture the aggressor,” he adds.
The organization concluded that impunity and the culture of silence are clear evidence of the normalization, justification and reproduction of violence exercised against lesbians, homosexuals, trans, bisexual and non-binary people.
«Police action continues to be inefficient, late, and in some cases non-existent, which, without a doubt, contributes to the climate of impunity that prevails in the country. Faced with this, it becomes increasingly urgent to question the prejudices that, as we know, are at the basis of the violence suffered by those bodies that with their very existence question gender mandates,” he concludes.
