Did Hate Crime Against Lesbians Lead To 3 Women's Deaths In Argentina?

A horrifying incident in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has left three women dead and one critically injured after they were targeted in what appears to be a hate crime. The attack occurred on May 6th, when a man threw a Molotov cocktail into their room at a boarding house. The victims, two lesbian couples, were engulfed in flames as a result of the attack. Pamela Fabiana Cobas tragically died almost immediately from severe burns, while her partner, Mercedes Roxana Figueroa, succumbed to organ failure two days later. Another victim, Andrea Amarante, passed away in the hospital on May 12th. The fourth woman, Sofia Castroriglos Riglos, is currently in the hospital but is expected to survive.

Details Of The Incident

The grim ordeal transpired when a 62-year-old man, identified as Justo Fernando Barrientos, callously hurled a Molotov cocktail into the room housing the two couples. As flames engulfed the space, the occupants were engulfed in a nightmare, fighting for their lives in the fire.

Tragically, Pamela Fabiana Cobas, succumbed to severe burns, her partner, Mercedes Roxana Figueroa, fought valiantly but ultimately succumbed to organ failure, and a third victim, Andrea Amarante, lost her life in the hospital days later. The fourth survivor, Sofia Castroriglos Riglos, though critically injured, bravely clings to life in a local hospital.

The accused, Barrientos, reportedly employed rags soaked in a flammable substance to ignite the deadly blaze, triggering the evacuation of the boarding house. Following the heinous act, he inflicted a self-inflicted neck injury before being arrested by authorities. 

Eyewitnesses and fellow residents of the boarding house revealed that Barrientos had previously threatened and abused the victims because of their sexual orientation. LGBTQ organizations in Argentina have condemned the attack as a hate crime, stressing the need for justice and societal change. According to the Argentine LGBT Federation, the incident is ''potentially one of the most abhorrent hate crimes in recent years."

'Hate crimes are the result of a culture of violence and discrimination, sustained by hate speech currently endorsed by several government officials,'' the organisation said in a statement. 

They also stated that they were looking for the victim's family and friends, but had yet to make contact with them.

''We are going to stand by them, making ourselves available for whatever they and their families need, and we will closely follow the court case so that there is justice,” said the organization. “But we cannot fail to point out that hate crimes are the result of a culture of violence and discrimination that is sustained by hate speeches that today are endorsed by several officials and referents of the national government,'' the organisation added to their statement, reported by NDTV. 

A protest convened outside Argentina's National Congress building on May 10th, where impassioned voices demanded accountability and an end to the culture of hate and bigotry that breeds such atrocities.