Chile’s president signs hate crime legislation into law
Chile’s president Sebastian Pinera signed anti-discrimination legislation into law today. The move comes after the Neo-Nazi killing of a gay man, Daniel Zamudio, in March.
Mr Zamudio’s killing shocked Chile and sparked a national debate on hate crime. He suffered severe head injuries and his body was found in a city park with cigarette burns and swastikas carved in his skin.
The hate crime bill had languished in Congress for over seven years, but was finally fast-tracked to approval after the attack. It cleared its final hurdle with a 25-3 vote in the Senate.
Mr Zamudio died three weeks after the attack.
Chilean police arrested four men aged between 19 and 25 shortly afterwards.
Patricio Iván Ahumada Garay, Fabián Alexis Mora Mora, Alejandro Axel Angulo Tapia and Raúl Alfonso López now face charges of second-degree homicide.
