Crime

Chile: Discrimination law moves closer after gay man’s death

Apr 05 2012
Written by Stephen Gray

A week after the death of Daniel Zamudio, a Chilean gay man who had been the victim of a brutal and sustained attack, the country’s Congress has narrowly approved most of the provisions of a bill which would protect citizens against discrimination.

The Chamber of Deputies held a minute’s silence yesterday for Mr Zamudio before approving most of a bill making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender and disability.

The Chamber voted 58-56 in favour of the legislation, which was first laid before the country’s Congress seven years ago and approved by the Senate in November 2011.

A committee made up of members of the Senate and Chamber will finalise a text after some clauses that had been proposed by the Senate were rejected.

Last week, thousands attended the funeral of Mr Zamudio, who died from injuries sustained in an attack for which four men, who are believed to be members of a neo-Nazi group were arrested.

Daniel Zamudio, who was 24, died from his injuries last Tuesday, twenty five days after his attack on March 3.

He had suffered a six-hour ordeal at the hands of his captors, and pictures released by his family showed that he had been beaten in the head, burned with cigarettes, and scarred with Nazi symbols and slogans.

The men arrested deny both attacking Mr Zamudio and belonging to a neo-Nazi movement.