Murder of Vicky Hernández
Vicky Hernández | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 |
| Died | 28 June 2009 (aged 25–26) San Pedro Sula, Honduras |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Nationality | Honduran |
| Occupation | LGBT rights activist |
The murder of Vicky Hernández was a hate crime that took place in Honduras. Hernández was a transgender woman who gained fame domestically as an LGBT activist.
In 2022, Honduran president Xiomara Castro apologized for the act,[1], it being the first time in Honduras' history that the government apologizes for a violent act against a member of the LGBT community.
Victim
[edit]Vicky Hernández was an Honduran transgender woman who was assigned male at birth. She was a prostitute who later became an activist, fighting for the rights of LGBT people in her country.[2] She has been described by newspapers such as The New York Times as a "passionate activist, who was a beloved sister and daughter".[2] Hernández was diagnosed as having HIV before she retired from prostitution.[3]
Crime
[edit]Hernández was murdered during the 2009 Honduran coup d'état.[4] On 28 June 2009, as the crisis took over the country, Hernández was shot in the head, dying from her wounds.[5] The crime took place in San Pedro Sula, a city that has had a problem with crime for decades.[6]
Afterwards
[edit]The state of Honduras investigated Hernández's death. One year after Hernández's murder, two other transgender women who had witnessed her killing and testified that they had seen members of the police on a patrol car approach Hernández the day of her death, were themselves murdered.[7]
The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization and the Red Lesbica Cattrachas, a lesbian rights organization in Honduras, represented Hernández's family on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (ICHR), arguing that Hernández's murder was an extrajudicial murder and that the case was negligently investigated by the country's government.[8] The ICHR also found evidence that agents acting for the government were involved in the crime.[9]
On 9 May, 2022, Honduran president Xiomara Castro apologized to Hernández's family and recognized the government's responsibility for the murder.[10]
In media
[edit]A documentary about Hernández and her murder, titled 28 de Junio: Vicky vs Honduras (transl. June 28: Vicky vs Honduras), was released in May 2022.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Honduras reconoce su responsabilidad en la muerte de Vicky Hernández, una mujer transgénero" [Honduras recognizes its responsibility in the death of Vicky Hernández, a transgender woman]. El País (in Spanish). May 10, 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ a b Baeyens, Angelita; Mordecai, Kacey (2021-09-27). "Honduras, el mundo te observa: tienes una deuda pendiente con las personas trans" [Honduras, the world is watching you: you have an outstanding debt with trans people]. The New York Times (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Arroyo, Lorena (22 June 2021). "De paria a heroína: La hondureña asesinada que sigue luchando por los derechos trans en América Latina" [From outcast to heroine: the murdered Honduran who continues to fight for trans rights in Latin America]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Arroyo, Lorena (29 June 2021). "La Corte Interamericana condena a Honduras por la muerte de una mujer transgénero" [The Inter-American Court condemns Honduras for the death of a transgender woman]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Honduras reconoce responsabilidad en muerte de una mujer transgénero en 2009" [Honduras acknowledges responsibility for the death of a transgender woman in 2009]. SWI swissinfo (in Spanish). 9 May 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/15/san-pedro-sula-honduras-most-violent
- ^ Robles, Frances (April 29, 2021). "'They Call It Social Cleansing': Court May Force Honduras to Better Protect Trans People". New York Times. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Trans Woman Extrajudicially Executed". Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Hernández, Breidy (22 May 2024). "Vicky Hernández: Tres años de incumplimiento y medidas cosméticas por parte del Estado" [Vicky Hernández: Three years of non-compliance and cosmetic measures by the State]. Criterio (in Spanish).
- ^ "Honduras Recognizes Its Responsibility in Trans Killing | Human Rights Watch". Human Rights Watch. 2022-05-13. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Orellana, Dunia (14 June 2022). ""28 de junio: Vicky Hernández versus Honduras" el documental sobre la activista trans asesinada en 2009" [June 28: Vicky Hernandez versus Honduras - the documentary about the trans activist murdered in 2009]. Agencia Presentes (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2024.