Wednesday, January 18, 2023 | 9:58 p.m.
This Wednesday, January 18, marks a new anniversary of the assassination of Fernando Báez Sosa. This third anniversary will not be lived like the previous ones since it occurs during the trial against the rugby players accused of the crime. This Thursday will be the last day of hearings before the arguments begin next Monday. The verdict of Justice already has a date: January 31.
In this context, tributes were held in towns in the province of Buenos Aires and in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires to remember Fernando three years after his death. Silvino and Graciela, the parents of Báez Sosa, organized an interreligious prayer in Dolores, as well as a solidarity collection of food and school supplies.
Silvino Báez, Fernando’s father, was the first to take the microphone after the interreligious mass. After thanking the attendees for their presence, he stressed that the accompaniment “is giving them enormous strength to move forward and continue demanding justice. We also want to thank the support they give us to be able to help other people, because that does not come out of our pocket but it comes from his desire to collaborate with us: Fernando liked that, helping others. We are an arm of Fernando who want to do something so that people never forget about him”.
The father continued referring to the judicial process: “We hope that Justice, in which we have so much faith, acts as it should and that the punishment is very exemplary so that the young people, who are now all on the beach having fun, can return to their homes with their families. “I don’t know how to explain to people that every time I get up in the morning, it’s like waking up with a bag on my back. It’s a huge weight that I have on top of me. With my partner, Graciela, we try to help each other to get ahead. We move on: God gives us enough strength to be here and ask for justice for Fernando,” he concluded.
Later, Fernando’s mother, Graciela Sosa, recalled that her son took a vacation after finishing the Common Basic Cycle, at the Law School of the University of Buenos Aires. “It was our sun, our life, the one that gave us joy every day. Today we are empty, nothing was left in our house: we are both alone. Parties have passed, Christmas, New Years, my birthday, Silvino’s and also the of Fernando. In my house there were never more parties: without him, life ended for us,” he said.
Then he recalled that they went to Dolores “in search of justice. We do not want revenge, we just want them to pay for what they did to my son.” “When I am in court, I repeatedly saw how my son was beaten. I saw how he raised his hands. As a mother, I felt the desire to throw myself on my son’s body to cover him and to stop them from beating him. I saw how they discriminated against him because of his skin color “, he added.
“Fernando was a happy boy who just wanted to go enjoy. But Fernando didn’t come back. We are sad with Silvino. I keep waiting for my son to come back, even though I know he will never come back to our lives,” Graciela told the audience. “All the sacrifice my son made to get to where he was was cut short. He entered college and everything was cut short,” his mother recalled, adding that “thanks to all of you, who show me so much love and affection for Fernando, I’m on my feet”.
After the request for justice, he stated that “I stand for Fernando and for all those mothers who also lost their children and who did not receive justice. I expect exemplary justice for Fernando. I do not come to seek revenge: I just want justice and that my son can rest in peace and that we have a little peace in our hearts”. “Sometimes I want to tell Fernando about the love I receive and tell him that everyone loves him, so that he blesses all of you from beyond,” he concluded.
“Fernando, present”
In the Municipal Amphitheater of Parque Libres del Sur, in Dolores, residents and tourists accompanied Silvino Báez and Graciela Sosa. The cry “Fernando, present” preceded the request for Justice in the act of Dolores. After Fernando’s parents light a candle in his tribute, they participated in a procession that planted a jacaranda, the young man’s favorite tree.
Later, an artist performed a version of I’m going by your side, a song written by Patricia Sosa. The act continued with the broadcast of a video with photographs of Fernando Báez Sosa, accompanied by the text: “In your short life you honored the values that your parents knew how to teach you.” At the end, the young man’s parents took the stage and joined the song for justice. To conclude, an interreligious mass declared of municipal interest by the Deliberative Council of Dolores was celebrated.
The mobilizations were replicated in Villa Gesell, Zárate, Mar del Plata, Hurlingham, Morón and José C. Paz. In Buenos Aires, two parallel ceremonies were organized: at the Colegio Marianista de Caballito, where Fernando attended, and in front of his parents’ house in Recoleta.
In addition to the thousands of in-person attendees, social networks also paid tribute to Fernando and reiterated the request for justice. On Twitter, the hashtag #JusticiaPorFernandoBaezSosa was a trend, where users accompanied their posts with images of a lit candle.
