‘He will not be forgotten,’ says Erika Hilton after homophobic crime in Manaus
10 de July de 2025
By Danilo dos Santos – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – Federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) spoke on Wednesday, July 9, on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies about the murder of Fernando Vilaça, a 17-year-old teenager killed in the east zone of Manaus after reacting to homophobic slurs. The congresswoman stated that the teenager’s death reflects the structural violence faced by Brazil’s LGBTQIA+ population. “This is a reflection of a Brazil that insists on continuing to torture, kill, violate, and injure the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community,” she declared.
Hilton criticized the lack of public policies and legislative inaction in response to violence motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity. “Today, a family mourns the consequences of our country’s structural LGBTphobia. They mourn a Congress that does not legislate for this population,” she stated, emphasizing that the case will not be forgotten. “The death of this young man, Fernando, will not be forgotten.”
The crime occurred on Wednesday, July 3, and Fernando’s death was confirmed on Saturday, July 6. According to the preliminary report by the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IML), Fernando suffered cerebral edema, cranial trauma, intracranial hemorrhage, and injuries caused by blunt force. The congresswoman informed that she had already requested that the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC) monitor the investigation. “It is heartbreaking to think that a person with his whole life ahead of him had his path cut short just for questioning why someone was calling him a ‘faggot,’” she said.
The MDHC also issued a statement on Tuesday, July 8, classifying the crime as an attack on the constitutional foundations of dignity, equality, and freedom. The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to combating violence motivated by hatred and discrimination and confirmed that it is monitoring the case.
The Brazilian Bar Association – Amazonas Section (OAB-AM), through its Human Rights Commission, also released a statement of repudiation and solidarity. The institution attributed the crime to homophobia and called for the case to be treated as an act of violence against the LGBTQIAPN+ population.
In its statement, the OAB-AM stressed the need for a thorough investigation, declaring that crimes of this nature cannot be normalized. The organization reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of human rights and the fight against violence rooted in prejudice and discrimination.
Revisiting the case
Fernando Vilaça was assaulted on Wednesday, July 2, on Três Poderes Street, in the Gilberto Mestrinho neighborhood, East Zone of Manaus. According to witnesses, the 17-year-old student was beaten after questioning two other teenagers—who have not yet been identified—about why they were calling him a “faggot.” The attack happened in public and drew the attention of family members and neighbors.
Speaking to CENARIUM, Fernando’s mother, who chose not to be identified, described how the assault happened. According to her, she had asked her son to go buy milk from a nearby store, but when Fernando saw the suspects at the street corner, he returned home to alert his brothers, who then accompanied him back. According to family members and neighbors, the suspects frequently bullied Fernando and other local children.
“He didn’t even buy the milk. He came back, threw the money on the sofa, and told his brothers [who appear in the footage] that those guys were on the corner. When my two boys went down, I followed them,” his mother said.
She reported that one of the suspects kicked Fernando in the head. The impact knocked him unconscious. “One of them kicked my son in the head, and he hit the school wall with force. It made a cracking sound. My son fell to the ground shaking, stiff. I tried to lift him from the edge of the sidewalk, and asked a neighbor for help. Then I ran back home to get more help,” she recounted.
Fernando was first taken to Platão Araújo Emergency Hospital and then transferred to Dr. João Lúcio Emergency Hospital, where he died on Saturday, July 5. According to the preliminary report from the Amazonas Forensic Institute, the causes of death were cerebral edema, cranial trauma, intracranial hemorrhage, and blunt force trauma. The Brazilian Bar Association – Amazonas Section (OAB-AM), through its Human Rights Commission, stated that the case must be treated as a result of violence directed at the LGBTQIAPN+ population and attributed the crime to homophobia.
Read the full statement
The Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC), through the National Secretariat for the Rights of LGBTQIA+ People, expresses its deepest sorrow and solidarity with the family and community of young Fernando Vilaça da Silva, a 17-year-old teenager brutally murdered in an act of homophobic violence in the state of Amazonas.
In the early hours of July 5, 2025, in the Gilberto Mestrinho neighborhood, east zone of Manaus (AM), Fernando was beaten after reacting to homophobic insults shouted by a group of individuals during a public gathering. After three days in critical condition with cranial trauma, intracranial hemorrhage, and cerebral edema, the teenager died on July 7.
These acts directly violate the constitutional foundations of human dignity, equality, and freedom, and are also crimes under Brazilian criminal law, including aggravated homicide for vile motive and LGBTQIAphobia, which has been recognized as a form of racism by the Supreme Federal Court in Direct Action of Unconstitutionality by Omission (ADO) 26/2019.
The MDHC reaffirms its commitment to defending the lives and rights of LGBTQIA+ people and to combating violence driven by hatred, prejudice, and discrimination. We stand in solidarity with the family of Fernando Vilaça da Silva, are following the case closely, and inform that appropriate measures are already being taken in cooperation with the National Human Rights Ombudsman.
Fernando Vilaça da Silva will not be forgotten. All forms of LGBTphobic violence must be combated with rigor and structural public policy.
Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship