The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR, or CIDH [2] in Spanish), an agency of the Organization of American States (OAS), reported on June 18 that eight members of the LGBT community in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero [3] have been murdered since the beginning of the year. The latest victim was 18-year-old Antonio Calderón Peralta, whose body was found in Chilpancingo, the state capital, on June 9. The youth, who was dressed in women's clothes, had been beaten to death. The discovery of Calderón's body came two days after Guerrero's LGBT community held a march in Chilpancingo supporting sexual diversity.
The IACHR called on the Guerrero government to investigate the killing, to determine "whether this murder was committed because of the victim's gender identity or sexual orientation," and "to punish the persons who are found to responsible." The agency noted that the killings have taken place "in a context of impunity and lack of due investigation of these deeds." (AFP, June 19, via Noticias de Querétaro [4]; La Jornada de Guerrero [5], June 22)
From Weekly News Update on the Americas [6], June 24.
See our last post on Mexico [7].
