In Spain, four men were convicted of the homophobic murder of a 24-year-old nursing assistant. This case caused strong reactions both within the country and internationally.
Four men have been convicted in Spain of the homophobic murder of a 24-year-old nurse’s aide, a case that sparked strong reactions at home and abroad.
THE Samuel Luith died in hospital after being attacked by a group of men outside a nightclub in A Coruña, Galicia region, in July 2021.
Diego Montaña, Alejandro Freire and Caio Amaral were found guilty of aggravated murder and Alejandro Miguez of complicity. The court heard that Montagna, the leader of the group, inferred that Luith was gay because of the way he spoke and dressed, shouted homophobic slurs at him before the attack and made homophobic comments to his co-accused immediately afterwards.
“Today, four perpetrators were sentenced for the murder of Samuel Luith. Let’s not look elsewhere: the phobia of them LGBT that kills starts with hateful comments or “jokes” that are hurtful and must stop” said former Equality Minister Irene Montero in her post on Platform X.
Jurors took an unusually long five days of deliberations to reach their verdict after a trial that lasted about four weeks. Penalties will be announced later. The prosecution has asked for prison terms of 23-27 years.
Some 364 hate crimes related to the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity were recorded in Spain in 2023 and 184 arrests were made, according to Interior Ministry data. The European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency says only a small percentage of hate crimes are reported to the authorities.
Source :Skai
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