A vigil demanding justice for murdered trans woman Sara Millerey González has been held in Colombia’s capital.

32-year-old Millerey González lived in Bello, Antioquia in the northwest of Colombia, and was killed during the first weekend of April. After being raped, her legs and arms were broken and she was thrown into the La García stream.

According to authorities, she was rescued from the water by firefighters and police and transported to the nearest hospital but died on 5 April.  

Clips of her struggling in the water were filmed by neighbours and passers-by and shared on social media in subsequent days. Many of these harrowing videos remain live on various social media platforms.

Millerey’s violent death – the 25th queer killing in the country so far this year – has sparked outrage in Colombia, with many calling for better protections for trans folks and stronger punishments for hate crimes.

According to Spanish language outlets, several large scale demonstrations have been held across Colombia in recent days – including in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, and Bello – to call for justice and protest systematic transphobic violence.

At the vigil, members of the LGBTQ+ and wider community lit candles for Millerey, held photographs of her and waved trans flags.

“That’s why we are here, firmly rejecting this structural violence from all fronts,” Elizabeth Castillo, a politician and activist, told reporters.

On his X account, president Gustavo Petro described Millerey’s killing as “facism”: “I’m criticised for speaking about Nazism. I know perfectly well that fascism is the violent elimination of human differences: political, religious, ethnic, sexual freedom. What happened in Bello is called fascism, because there are Nazis in Colombia.”

Lorena González Ospina, mayor of Bello, said she will seek justice for her murdered citizen.

“Sara was brutally attacked, her arms and legs were broken, and her body was thrown into the river. And it is deeply painful to think this happened amid the indifference of so many. We cannot allow transphobia to keep taking lives in silence,” Ospina said.

“We, as a city and as a local government, have a responsibility to the LGBTIQ+ community. And today, from the bottom of my heart, I say we cannot remain silent.

“We will demand justice for Sara, and we will continue working toward a city where all lives are treated with dignity and respect. Transphobia kills. No more indifference, and no more silence.”

A reward of 50 million Colombian pesos ($11,000) is being offered to anyone who can bring forward information that leads to the capture of those responsible.

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