SAN SALVADOR, Feb 22 — El Salvador’s LGBT community was on edge yesterday after the murders of three transvestites in as many days, with activists demanding authorities conduct a full investigation.
The state prosecutors’ office said on its Twitter feed that the body of an unidentified man dressed as a woman was found in Cuyultitan, a town in the southern region of La Paz close to the capital.
The discovery followed the shooting murders on Sunday of two other cross-dressing men in the same region, in the nearby city of San Luis Talpa.
A fourth transvestite suffered serious wounds but survived an attack in the capital San Salvador last Friday.
A group defending LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender) rights, ASPIDH, demanded that a probe be launched to “elucidate” the crimes.
“This is an alarming matter,” one of the group’s representatives, Ambar Alfaro, told AFP.
“In the LGBT community we are demanding authorities investigate this grave situation. It clearly shows the hate that prevails against our community.”
In 2016, 24 members of the LGBT community were murdered, according to ASPIDH. So far this year, there are 12 murders.
“We are afraid the situation is worsening against our community. We demand protective action from authorities,” Alfaro said. — AFP
