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A6   WORLD NEWS
               Wednesday 17 January 2024

             Wave of transgender slayings in Mexico spurs anger and protests

             by LGBTQ+ community



            MEGAN JANETSKY                                                                                                      everything in our power so
             Associated Press                                                                                                   the next generations won’t
            MEXICO  CITY  (AP)  —  Au-                                                                                          have to live in fear.”
            thorities  in  Mexico  said  at                                                                                     Gay    and    transgender
            least  three  transgender                                                                                           populations  are  regular-
            people  were  killed  in  the                                                                                       ly  attacked  and  killed  in
            first two weeks of 2024, and                                                                                        Mexico,  a  nation  marked
            rights  groups  were  investi-                                                                                      by  its  “macho”  and  highly
            gating two additional such                                                                                          religious  population.  The
            cases. The slayings marked                                                                                          brutality of some of the at-
            a  violent  start  to  the  year                                                                                    tacks  is  meant  to  send  a
            in a country where the LG-                                                                                          message to Queer people
            BTQ+  community  is  often                                                                                          that they are not welcome
            targeted.                                                                                                           in society.
            The  latest  death  came  on                                                                                        Over the past six years, the
            Sunday,  when  transgen-                                                                                            rights  group  Letra  S  has
            der  activist  and  politician                                                                                      documented  at  least  513
            Samantha  Gómez  Fonse-                                                                                             targeted killings of LGBTQ+
            ca was shot multiple times                                                                                          people in Mexico. Just last
            and  slain  inside  a  car  in                                                                                      year,  the  violent  death  of
            the  south  of  Mexico  City,                                                                                       one  of  the  most  recog-
            according  to  local  pros-                                                                                         nizable  LGBTQ+  figured
            ecutors. The killings spurred                                                                                       in  Mexico,  Ociel  Baena,
            outrage  among  members      A member of the LGBTQ+ community holds a portrait of transgender activist Samantha Gomes   sparked  a  similar  wave  of
            of  the  LGBTQ+  community   Fonseca during a rally to protest her murder in Mexico City, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Gomes was   outrage and protests.
                                         shot in Mexico City Sunday.
            who  protested  in  Mexico                                                                         Associated Press  Some    like   55-year-old
            City’s  main  throughway                                                                                            Xomalia  Ramírez  said  the
            on  Monday.Around  100  painted  the  words  “trans  ceptance  of  transgender  among  the  marchers,  said  violence was a partly con-
            people marched chanting:  lives matter” on the walls of  people in society. After her  it  felt  like  “the  violence  sequence  of  comments
            “Samantha  listen,  we’re  Mexico’s National Palace.      death,  the  march  quickly  was  knocking  on  our  front  made  by  Mexican  Presi-
            fighting  for  you”  and  car-  Fonseca,  the  activist  and  turned  into  a  call  for  jus-  door.”              dent Andrés Manuel López
            rying  signs  reading  “your  politician  slain  on  Sun-  tice and for more compre-   “We  are  scared,  but  with  Obrador last week when he
            hate speech kills.”          day,  originally  intended  to  hensive  laws  around  hate  that  fear  we’re  going  to  described  a  transgender
            Another  group  of  protest-  march alongside other ac-   crimes.Paulina Carrazco, a  keep  fighting,”  Carrazco  congresswoman  as  “man
            ers earlier in the day spray  tivists to call for greater ac-  41-year-old  trans  woman  said.  “We’re  going  to  do  dressed as a woman.”q



             Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan indicted on charge of

             violating marriage law




             By MUNIR AHMED              2017, less than three months  ously was married to social-  is  a  requirement  of  Islamic  cases,  which  include  incit-
             Associated Press            ahead  of  Khan’s  Jan.  1,  ite Jemima Goldsmith and  law  that  is  upheld  under  ing people to violence af-
             ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Paki-    2018  marriage,  which  was  journalist Reham Khan, and  Pakistani law.                ter his arrest in May 2023.
             stani  court  on  Tuesday  in-  announced  in  February  of  his  current  wife  have  both  Khan  pleaded  not  guilty  During  nationwide  riots  in
             dicted  imprisoned  former  that year. But Bibi has said  denied  that  they  violated  Tuesday   when   charges  May,    Khan’s   supporters
             Prime  Minister  Imran  Khan  the  divorce  was  in  August  the  three-month  waiting  were  read  out  to  him  by  from  his  Pakistan  Tehreek-
             and  his  wife  on  a  charge  of  2017.  Khan,  who  previ-  period.  The  waiting  period  a judge at Adiala prison in  e-Insaf  party  attacked  the
             that  their  2018  marriage                                                           the  garrison  city  of  Rawal-  military’s  headquarters  in
             violated  the  legal  require-                                                        pindi.  Bibi  was  not  present  the  garrison  city  of  Rawal-
             ment  that  a  woman  wait                                                            at  the  time  of  indictment,  pindi,  stormed an air base
             three  months  before  re-                                                            though  she  has  previously  in  Mianwali  in  the  east-
             marriage, his lawyer said.                                                            denied the charge.           ern  Punjab  province  and
             Khan  denied  the  charge,                                                            “Everyone  knows  he’s  be-  torched a building housing
             and his lawyer, Intisar Pan-                                                          ing  charged  and  incar-    state-run  Radio  Pakistan  in
             jutha, called the case one                                                            cerated in bogus cases to  the northwest.
             of scores against the former                                                          keep  him  out  of  electoral  The violence subsided only
             prime minister that he sees                                                           race,  however  people  of  when  Khan  was  released
             as  a  politically  motivated                                                         Pakistan don’t seem to be  at the time by the Supreme
             attempt to keep Khan out                                                              giving  up  on  him,’’  Khan’s  Court.
             of Pakistan’s general elec-                                                           lawyer, Panjutha, said.      On  Tuesday,  police  arrest-
             tions to be held next month.                                                          Khan, who was ousted from  ed Khan ally Sheikh Rashid
             Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, who                                                          power  in  a  no-confidence  Ahmed on charges of incit-
             is a spiritual healer, was pre-                                                       vote  in  Parliament  in  April  ing  people  to  violence  in
             viously  married  to  a  man  Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) a political party of   2022,  is  currently  serving  a  May in the city of Rawalpin-
             named  Khawar  Maneka  former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, hold a rally against   prison term in a graft case.  di.  Ahmed  served  as  inte-
             who has claimed that they   the decision of election commission for the electoral symbol of   Khan  has  also  been  em-  rior  minister  in  Khan’s  gov-
             divorced   in   November    a cricket bat, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.                     broiled  in  more  than  150  ernment until his ouster.q
                                                                                  Associated Press
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