The LGBT+ community march International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in Honduras. (AFP via Getty/ ORLANDO SIERRA/)
Three LGBT+ people have been murdered on the same day in Honduras in a spate of violence indicative of the horrific circumstances for queer folk in the country.
On Wednesday, 2 February, Jonathan Gabriel Martínez and his partner César Gustavo Zúñiga were shot dead in the liquor store owned by Martínez in San Pedro Sula’s Ticamaya neighborhood.
According to Reportar sin Miedo, the killers were dressed as police officers.
On the same day, María Fernanda Martínez, who was just 18 years old, was shot dead in La Libertad, a municipality in Comayagua, Honduras.
She was reportedly shot more than 10 times, and was hit on the head with a rock at the door to her house. Reportar sin Miedo reported that she had hopes of seeking refuge in the US, and had joined a migrant caravan.
The tragic deaths are a sign of the horrifying violence faced by LGBT+ people in Honduras, with at least 405 queer folk having been murdered in the country since 2009, according to lesbian human rights group Cattrachas.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ office in Honduras posted on its official Twitter account that it “condemns the violent deaths of three LGBT+ people”.
The office added: “We express our solidarity with the families of the victims… We urge the state to carry out prompt investigations that include the hate crime line of investigation.
“The office expresses its concern over the attacks, threats and harassment that LGBTI people in the country face.
“The Honduran state must guarantee truth, justice and reparation for these crimes and ensure they don’t happen again.”
Just last month, Thalía Rodríguez, a trans woman and “warrior” trans rights activist was murdered outside her home in Honduras.
The 45-year-old leader of the trans rights group Asociación Cozumel Trans was shot in the head by attackers.
“Murders of LGBT+ people are not investigated by the authorities and as a consequence, most of the cases go completely unpunished,” Cattrachas said at the time.
“Honduras is a hostile and dangerous country for LGBT+ people and the government has not done enough to face this reality.”