Daniel Zamudio: Neo-Nazi killing of gay man prompts UN to urge Chile to toughen laws

The UN human rights office is urging Chile to pass new laws against hate crimes and discrimination after the killing of a young gay man found beaten with swastikas carved into his body, reported the Associated Press .

Daniel Zamudio, 24, was savagely beaten on March 3 by four neo-Nazi suspects, according to Agence France-Presse . He died after 25 days of induced coma from "surgical trauma."

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The four suspects were identified as Raul Lopez Fuentes, 25, Patricio Ahumada Garay, 25, Alejandro Angulo Tapia, 26, and Fabian Mora Mora, 19, reported CNN . After Zamudio died, authorities raised the charges against the men to aggravated murder.

"As a government, we did this in the name of millions of Chileans who, after the murder of Daniel Zamudio, feel that Chile has to change," regional Gov. Cecilia Perez said, according to CNN.

Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the "particularly abhorrent murder" demanded new laws against discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity, reported the AP.

"We deplore the violent criminal act that took the life of this young man and urge the Chilean Congress to pass a law against discrimination, including on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity," said Colville, according to AFP. "We also urge Chile to enact hate crime legislation that establishes hatred based on various grounds, including sexual orientation and gender identity, as an aggravating factor for the purposes of criminal prosecution."

Zamudio's family released pictures showing the openly gay man was beaten in the head, burned with cigarettes and marked on his body with Nazi symbols and slogans, reported AFP. His killing has created a public outcry across Chile.


(2012-03-30/globalpost)