Three lesbian women died and a fourth was hospitalized. These are the victims of the May 6 attack on a pension fund in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The 62-year-old suspect, identified as Justo Fernando Barrientos, lived next door to the four women in the Paracas neighborhood. The man allegedly threw burning clothes in the victim’s bedroom while they were sleeping.
As stated therein Buenos Aires Herald, 52-year-old Pamela Copas suffered severe burns and died within hours of the incident. His partner, 52-year-old Mercedes Roxana Figueroa, died two days after the attack with burns to 90% of her body. A third person, Andrea Amarante, died last Monday (13). The only survivor, Sofia Castro, is currently hospitalized but not in critical condition.
to site gifts, Sergio Araujo, 36, who lives on the second floor, called everyone “knife” when he saw the fire. “When I came down, I saw the girls. I went to get the fire extinguisher from my mother’s room and we went into the room,” says the resident.
Sergio also reported that when the victims tried to escape the fire, the suspect pushed them into the room and assaulted them. According to another resident, Diego Bridez, “five of us tried to push him away so he wouldn’t continue to beat him”. After the attack, the tenants put the women under water and took them to bathe.
The fire spread throughout the building and 7 people were injured. Police found a saw that Barrientos had used to cut himself in a bathroom on the second floor of the building. The suspect was arrested after leaving the hospital and taken into police custody. The case is being investigated as murder and hate crime.
Diego Brites says the suspect had threatened the victims before. “He had already threatened them once last Christmas. I told them I was going to kill them (Pamela and Mercedes),” the 51-year-old resident told the Presentes website.
The tenant says she overheard several arguments between the man and the victim, realizing Barrientos was discriminating against women because of his sexual orientation. “They argued a lot. I called them out.”makes‘ [expressão espanhola para criatura deformada] Because of his sexuality”, says Brittes.
A demonstration took place last Friday afternoon (10) in front of the Argentine National Congress. The organizers demanded justice for the victims.
Also on Monday (13), a demonstration was held in front of Plaza Colombia in Buenos Aires following the death of Andrea Amarante. As stated therein GuardianMore than 200 protesters carried banners reading “They killed them” and accused Javier Mille’s government of promoting hate speech and the rise of intolerance.
Amidst the shouts of protest, a member of the neighborhood association spoke to the protestors. “They were burned for being lesbians,” she said.
The Argentine LGBT Federation characterized the attack as “one of the most disgusting hate crimes in recent years”.
According to one Federation report, “In the context of the 2023 presidential election campaign, members of President Javier Mili’s political party, as well as offensive speech on social media and in the streets, created an environment of division, rejection and discrimination; A very fertile ground for violence against historically vulnerable groups.”
Updated at 3:07 with information on protests
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