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Outrage in Argentina after 3 women tortured, killed on Instagram live stream by drug gang
Protestors marched to the steps of Argentina’s Parliament, holding banners with the names and faces of the victims.
Grief, anger, and a deep call for justice echoed through the streets of Argentina's Buenos Aires on Saturday, as thousands gathered to protest the horrific torture and murder of three young women. Shockingly, the crime was live-streamed on social media
Protestors marched to the steps of Argentina’s Parliament, holding banners with the names and faces of the victims -- Lara Gutierrez (15), and cousins Brenda del Castillo and Morena Verdi (20). The message was clear: "Women's lives are not disposable.”
Authorities have linked the murders to drug gang violence. "It was a narco-feminicide!" "Our lives are not disposable!" read signs and banners as protesters banged on drums at the march, organised by a feminist group.
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The bodies of Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, cousins aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez were found buried on Wednesday in the yard of a house in a southern suburb of Buenos Aires, five days after they went missing.
Victim's father on daughter's horrific killing
The protests were joined by the victims’ families as well, who were determined to speak out.
Leonel del Castillo, Brenda’s father, said he could not bring himself to identify his daughter due to the abuse she had endured.
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Antonio del Castillo, grandfather of the 20-year-old cousins, was in tears, calling the killers "bloodthirsty." "You wouldn't do what they did to them to an animal," he said.
Meta disputes live-streaming charges
What makes this case particularly harrowing is that the torture and killings were allegedly live-streamed on a private Instagram account, with at least 45 people reportedly watching the crime unfold in real time, AFP reported, citing officials.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, disputed that the livestream occurred on its platform.
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"We have not found any evidence of the livestream taking place on Instagram. Our team continues to cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate this horrific crime," a spokesperson told AFP.
Chilling details
The young woman disappeared on September 19, reportedly lured to a gathering under the pretence of a party. Five days later, police discovered their bodies buried in the yard of a house in the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires.
According to investigators, the three were targeted as a violent warning from a local drug gang, allegedly accused of violating internal "codes."
In the footage, a gang leader is heard saying: "This is what happens to those who steal drugs from me."
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As per Javier Alonso, security minister for Buenos Aires province, police discovered the video of the crime after one of the detainees revealed it during questioning.
Forensic reports and witness accounts suggest that the women were subjected to extreme violence, including mutilation, before being killed.
Argentine media reported that the torturers cut off fingers, pulled out nails, beat and suffocated the victims.
