Mexican government asks to investigate the death of a non-binary jurist with an LGBTI perspective

This Tuesday, the Mexican Government asked the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Aguacalientes to investigate the death of Jesus Ociel Baenathe first person of non-binary gender to occupy a judgeship in a court, whose death has sparked a national mobilization.

“In this case, make a very strong call for the approved investigation protocol for crimes committed against the LGBTTTIQ+ community to be fully applied,” said Félix Arturo Medina, Undersecretary of Human Rights, Population and Migration, at the daily press conference by the Government.

“And, likewise, that the criteria of intersectionality and gender perspective be applied when analyzing this case, that no evidence be discarded and that contextual analysis and other elements that will allow us to know the truth are also taken into account” added the official from the Ministry of the Interior.

This is the first official position of the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador after the lifeless appearance of Baena, whom they knew as “le magistrade”, and Dorián Daniel Nieves, identified as his partner, at their home in the central state of Aguascalientes.

Just hours after the death, LGBTI organizations carried out an unprecedented national mobilization with vigils and protests in more than 30 cities, where among the main slogans they shouted “crime of passion, national lie” to accuse the Aguascalientes Prosecutor’s Office of seeking to shelve the matter.

The Undersecretary of Human Rights argued that “these unfortunate events fall under common jurisdiction,” so it is up to the state prosecutor’s office to investigate the death.

He also assured that Baena was not part of the Comprehensive Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists of the Ministry of the Interior, but “he had protection measures from the state government” after reporting death threats last July.

“There is coordination, we have been in communication with them and we are going to provide all the support that is necessary, if required, also saying that it is very important not to rule out any line of investigation in this case,” commented Medina.

The federal official highlighted that Baena “was the first person in Mexico to have his INE (credential from the National Electoral Institute), passport, and academic titles with the non-binary gender and that is a merit.”

He also remembered him as an “activist, promoter and defender of human rights” of sexual diversity and “who, in his role, was in charge of promoting the electoral rights of all.”

“There is an issue that we want to discuss, a very regrettable event from yesterday, and we want to establish our position,” President López Obrador said at the conference.

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