*Graphic Content Warning* Colombia outraged by brutal murder of trans woman Sara Millerey González

***Graphic Content Warning***

The violent death of Sara Millerey González, a 32-year-old trans woman and activist, has shaken Colombia. Her murder in the city of Bello in early April has sparked widespread outrage, with many, including President Gustavo Petro, calling it a brutal act of hate.

Bello’s mayor, Lorena González Ospina, released an emotional message online condemning Sara’s murder as a hateful and horrifying act.

“I raise my voice as mayor but above all as a human being to reject with total forcefulness the murder of Sara Millerey, a trans woman victim of a heinous and hateful act. Sara was violated, her arms and legs were broken, and she was thrown into the river.”

Sara’s final moments were deeply disturbing. On April 4, she was reportedly raped, her arms and legs were broken, and her body was thrown into a stream.

Some witnesses not only watched, but allegedly recorded the scene as she struggled in the water. Those videos later surfaced on social media, adding another layer of heartbreak.

Bello’s Human Rights Table expressed their “profound pain and indignation” and demanded criminal investigations that would lead to the punishment of the murderers. They said in a statement: “We can’t allow fear, discrimination, homophobia and transphobia to continue sowing death in our territories.”

Rescue workers pulled her from the stream and rushed her to the hospital, but she died the next day, on April 5, from the extent of her injuries.

President Gustavo Petro addressed the tragedy directly, saying on X: “What happened in Bello is fascism. Fascism is the violent erasure of human difference—be it political, religious, ethnic, or sexual. There are Nazis in Colombia.”

Across the country, LGBTQ+ advocates are calling Sara’s death a symptom of something much deeper—a culture that often ignores, excludes, or mistreats trans people.

In a powerful statement, advocacy group Caribe Afirmativo wrote: “Sara’s murder didn’t start that day. It started when she was denied a fair chance at work, when people mocked her on the street, when institutions refused to recognise her. She had to fight to exist, every single day. The violence she faced didn’t begin or end with her death.”