Hate crimes from beatings to murders are rising in Honduras but investigations and prosecutions are rare with few victims receiving help, according to the gay community

Yndira Mendoza, director of the "Catrachas Network," an umbrella organization of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and trans-gender groups, says abuse based on sexual orientation in the Central American country is widespread. "Our fellow transsexuals are murdered on the street with a gunshot to the head. Our fellow gay people are being brutally killed inside their homes. But the last five murders that have happened here in Tegucigalpa have been extreme hate crimes that we have seen in recent times. Victims have been raped, stabbed, shot at, and even strangled," said Mendoza. According to the Catrachas Network, 50 members of their community have been murdered since 2004, including 21 in 2010 and five so far in 2011. Walter Trochez, a 25-year-old gay activist in Tegucigalpa, is among the most recent victims. He was shot in the chest in December 2010 by a drive-by gunman in downtown Tegucigalpa. According to Amnesty International, he had escaped a kidnapping attempt on December 4, 2010 after suffering several hours of beatings and threats by masked men.

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