Four people have been convicted in Spain of murdering gay people that sparked protests across the country By Reuters

(Reuters) – Four men were convicted in Spain on Sunday in connection with the gay murder of a 24-year-old nurse’s aide that sparked protests in Spanish cities and other countries.

Samuel Luiz died in hospital after being beaten by a group of people outside a nightclub in A Coruna in the northwest of the Galicia region in July 2021.

Diego Montaña, Alejandro Freire and Kaio Amaral were found guilty of brutal murder, and Alejandro Míguez of complicity.

A judge in A Coruna found evidence that Montaña – the leader of the group – concluded that Luiz was gay by his speech and his clothes, insulted him before the attack and spoke against gays afterwards to other suspects.

The jury spent an unusual five days deliberating after a trial that lasted nearly four weeks. Sentencing will happen later; The prosecutor asked for between 22 and 27 years in prison.

About 364 hate crimes related to sexual orientation or gender identity were reported in Spain in 2023, and 184 were arrested, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights says only a fraction of hate crimes are reported.

(This story has been reposted to correct an error in the word ‘nationwide,’ in the headline)