Ombudsman demands clarification over murder of LGBTI activist in Chapinero, Bogotá
Colombia's Ombudsman has called for clarity regarding the homicide of Guillermo Garzón, an LGBTI activist murdered in Chapinero. Authorities are investigating whether a criminal gang was behind the crime.
Murder of LGBTI activist in Bogotá under investigation
Colombia's Ombudsman demanded that the circumstances surrounding the murder of Guillermo Garzón, an LGBTI activist killed last week in the Chapinero district of Bogotá, be clarified.
Carolina Tejada, Ombudsman adviser for Women and Gender Issues, condemned the crime and requested that the Public Prosecutor's Office conduct the appropriate investigations. "What we are asking for is that the circumstances under which this activist was murdered in Bogotá be analysed... we hope that the authorities and the Public Prosecutor's Office will conduct the corresponding investigations that will allow us to establish what happened," she said.
According to defensoria.gov.co, authorities are also exploring a possible link between this murder and another similar incident also recorded in Bogotá. Tejada noted that the participation of a criminal gang cannot be ruled out. "We have received a series of complaints mentioning the existence of an alleged gang that would be intimidating, assaulting and attacking the LGBTI population," she stated.
The official stressed that it is crucial to determine whether the crime constitutes a hate crime or whether, conversely, the incident was solely related to a robbery.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá