News
The Catalan Ombudsman investigates the death of an inmate at Brians II prison
The institution will request information from the Department of Justice on the events
It also opened an ex officio action in order to look into the homophobic aggression suffered by two people on Saint John’s Eve
The Catalan Ombudsman has learned through the media of the death of an inmate at the Brians II Penitentiary Center. According to the published news, the body of the inmate was found by prison staff last Wednesday, June 23rd.
In this context, the Catalan Ombudsman asks the Secretary General for Criminal Measures, Reinsertion and Victim Assistance, of the Department of Justice, to inform the institution as soon as possible on the circumstances surrounding these events and the measures taken to investigate the case.
An ex officio action has also been opened to study a serious homophobic aggression
At the same time, the Catalan Ombudsman has also opened an ex officio investigation into the homophobic attack that took place on Saint John’s eve in Gràcia neighborhood, in Barcelona. According to the information published, two people were attacked because of their sexual orientation and had to be taken to hospital for bruising.
Once again, the Catalan Ombudsman wishes to show its solidarity with people who have been harassed, threatened or attacked because of their sexual identity or orientation, and calls on the public to get involved in defending their rights.
In this context, the Catalan Ombudsman wishes to highlight that an increase in cases of homophobic violence and incidents motivated by LGTBI-phobia has been detected in Catalonia. The Catalan Ombudsman's Gender Equality Plan establishes the commitment to open ex officio actions in cases of LGBTI-phobic physical aggression. And, in this context, the Catalan Ombudsman has already initiated 12 actions for homophobic aggressions, physical or verbal, in Catalonia since the beginning of 2020.
Regarding the specific case, the Catalan Ombudsman has addressed the Directorate General of the Police, the Directorate General for Equality and the Barcelona City Council to request information on these events.
