A TV show host and an LGBT rights activist were among three transgender women who were gunned down in three different Honduran cities this month.
The murders prompted the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to call on the Central American country to investigate the growing violence against trans people.
There have been 21 murders of LGBT people since January in Honduras, according to Cattrachas, an LGBT organization. Devdiscourse reported that the figure is up from 18 during the same period last year.
Since 2009, more than 300 LGBT people have been murdered in the country, according to IACHR.
Marcela Laitano, the Honduran human rights ministry’s head of public policy, has requested judicial authorities to conduct a “prompt investigation” into the recent murders.
Police have detained two potential suspects for the murder of LGBT rights activist Bessy Ferrera, 40, according to IACHR, reported Devdiscourse.
Additionally, the ministry is working with various government authorities and community organizations to promote “a culture of respect” with the goal to improve LGBT people’s access to health, education, employment, and political participation.
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