• Fernando Baez Sosa video shows that eight amateur rugby players brutally murdered him on 18th January 2020. 
• According to the video, the attack lasted for around 45 seconds. 
• Five of the attackers were sentenced to life in prison, and three were given 15 years in jail on Monday, 6th February 2023.
• The culprit was aged between 21 to 23 years.

Fernando Baez Sosa video shows that eight amateur rugby players brutally murdered him on 18th January 2020. According to the video, the attack lasted for around 45 seconds. 

Eight amateur rugby players in Argentina have been convicted for the murder of Fernando Báez Sosa, an 18-year-old law student. 

Five of the attackers were sentenced to life in prison, which in Argentina has a maximum sentence of 35 years, and three were given 15 years in jail on Monday, 6th February 2023.

The culprit was aged between 21 to 23 years. This was one of the most high-profile cases in Argentina. 

Báez Sosa was the only son of Paraguayan immigrants. He and his friends were at a nightclub in Villa Gesell when an altercation broke out between them and the rugby players. 

After being kicked out of the club, the rugby players attacked Báez Sosa, kicking and beating him, as some shouted racist slurs. Baez-Sosa received blows to the head, belly, and jaw, which caused him a cardiac arrest. 

The brutality of the crime and the fact that members of the same rugby team carried it out has drawn widespread public outrage and has shed light on the issue of racism in Argentina. One of the attackers was heard screaming, “black piece of sh*t.”

Although racially motivated hate was not part of the charges brought by the prosecution, many activists, family members, and government officials saw it as a significant factor in the attack. 

The National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism in Argentina called it an apparent racist attack.

“Fernando is the only victim here,” his mother, Graciela Sosa, told reporters before the verdict was rendered. “They killed him in the worst way possible, kicking him, while he was begging for them to stop.”

Báez Sosa’s father has spoken about the crime being driven by hate and feelings of superiority based on skin color.

“My son was beaten for racist reasons,” wrote Fernando’s father, Silvio Báez, about a year after the crime happened. “It was hate. Maybe they felt superior because they’re blond, and Fernando had dark skin.”

The trial began with 80 witnesses taking the stand, including young people who witnessed the attack and the parents of the rugby players. 

The prosecution sought life in prison for all members of the rugby group, while the defense argued that they should be acquitted because they did not intend to kill Báez Sosa. 

Despite the convictions, some believe that the judicial system in Argentina does not fully recognize the existence of racism.

Alejandro Mamani, a lawyer and member of the anti-racist group Identidad Marrón, believes that the case of Fernando Báez Sosa is a turning point in Argentina. 

He argues that although race became a point of debate in this case, not everyone fully understands its importance, and there is still much work to be done to address racism in the country.

In many ways, Fernando symbolized the “average Argentine,” a beloved son from a working-class family who was on track to improve his social status through academic excellence. 

His death has sparked a conversation about racism in Argentina and has galvanized the public to demand justice for victims of hate crimes.