Gay man ‘shot at and burned to death in his car’ in Brazil
Lindolfo Kosmaski, 25, "was young, a peasant, gay, full of dreams," according to a friend
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Instagram/lindolfokosmaski
A 25-year-old gay man was shot at and burned to death in his car in Brazil, according to local media.
Lindolfo Kosmaski disappeared on on 30 April 2021 near São João do Triunfo in the region of Paraná, reports Metropoles.com.
His body was found in his car on one of the town’s road the next day, the site reports; three suspects aged between 20 and 39 were arrested in connection with the murder on 7 May.
Kosmaski’s cousin Benedito Camargo told UOL: “He was well known in the region. Before he died, he paid everyone for beer and then he disappeared.
“His cell phone stayed at the establishment. A friend said that Lindolfo […] received a death threat days before he was murdered.”
The Civil Police of Paraná told the outlet that homophobia is the suspected motivation for the crime.
“A legacy this size is impossible to forget, erase or burn out”
Kosmaski, who was born in 1995, was a member of Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement (MST).
According to its website, the MST is “a mass social movement, formed by rural workers and by all those who want to fight for land reform and against injustice and social inequality in rural areas.”
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In a tribute to Kosmaski posted on the MST site, a spokesperson cliaimed: “His life was brutally mown down on May 1, 2021, in a cruel way. With evidence of firing shots and his charred body, our comrade is yet another victim of a hate crime for being outgoing LGBT [sic].
“Little do the murderous hands and the ideological responsible for this patriarchal violence know that the paths of liberation have been sown and do not fade with death. Like the seeds, the plants that Lindolfo loved so much, his struggle will continue to be reborn, grow and flourish, with cheerful and bright colors with each cycle of life.”
The tribute continues: “Lindolfo was young, a peasant, gay, full of dreams. He was a person known for affection and care; with a frank smile and an open heart, with a cheerful look, that captivate hugs and love. One of those beings who roam the world with a pounding heart, open to the challenge of learning, teaching and sharing. Loving with his family, his friends and his community.
“He defended life and fought for rural education, agroecology and the right of LGBT people to live and love without fear. A legacy this size is impossible to forget, erase or burn out.”
In a statement, the organisation added: “In this moment of pain, we offer all solidarity to family, friends and we hope that the competent bodies will be able to speed up investigations and find those responsible for this heinous crime. LGBTphobia is a crime and interrupts trajectories like Lindolfo’s, in a democratic and legal society there is no room for barbarism, hatred and intolerance.”
Brazil has seen a surge in abuse and violence against LGBTQs since the election of president Jair Bolsonaro, who is known for making homophobic remarks in public, in January 2019.
After his election, Bomsonaro suspended funding for LGBTQ films and vowed to remove references to homosexuality from school textbooks.