After 25 days struggling in hospital, Daniel Zumudio, the man who was left brain dead by a Neo-Nazi attack on 6th March, died on Tuesday after a complication in brain surgery.
The 24-year old was brutally attacked by four young men between the ages of 19 and 26, who have been identified by an anonymous phone call to the police. The attack was fuelled by homophobia, and the group branded his body with the Nazi symbol. They also ripped off part of his ear and tortured him.
His death has provoked a moral outcry in Chile and demand for an anti-discrimination law to be implemented.
Speaking from his visit to Asia, the Chilean president Sebastián Piñera condemned the attack. “The brutal and cowardly attack and death of Daniel Zamudio hurts not only his family but also all those people with good will.”
He assured that “his death would not go unpunished” and that the Chilean government is united against discrimination.
Human rights organisations have pointed to Chile’s seven-year rejection of an anti-discrimination law as blame for the attack. The family’s lawyer Jaime Parada has named the Chilean deputies as “morally guilty” for the attack.
Chilean deputies have pushed through an emergency anti-discrimination law. In the meantime, the four attackers will be sent to trial within 90 days.
