Hundreds rally to demand justice for Fernándo Báez Sosa

Carrying flickering white candles, hundreds of people protested in Buenos Aires on Thursday to demand justice for Fernándo Báez Sosa, the young man who was beaten to death by a group of youth rugby players last week, a crime that has shocked Argentina.

The demonstration took place in front of Báez's home in Recoleta, an exclusive neighbourhood in the capital.

"I want justice! Let them pay," cried Gabriela Sosa, the boy's mother, as those present waved signs saying "no more deaths.

"Nobody deserves this ... I trust the Argentines and that justice will be done," said Gabriela Sosa through tears.

Báez, 18, died early Saturday coastal town of Villa Gesell in the Buenos Aires Province, after a vicious attack by several rugby players outside the Le Brique nightclub.

The killing happened after an earlier skirmish between two groups in the club. After being thrown out by security guards, the group of rugby players isolated the 19-year-old from his friends and knocked him to the ground, before kicking and beating him repeatedly.

After attempts at resuscitation, he was taken to hospital, to no avail.

The violent attack was captured on video and it quickly went viral, sparking fierce criticism and a '#rugbiersasesinos' hashtag that began trending.

Eleven individuals have been arrested for their alleged role in the attack.

It is not the first time that a group of young people who play rugby, a sport associated with the upper-middle and upper classes in Argentina, have been involved in episodes of violence.A dozen young people between the ages of 18 and 21 were arrested in the case, all of them players from the Arsenal Zarate sailing club.

An only child who dreamed of becoming a lawyer, Báez had gone to spend the weekend with former schoolmates in the seaside town of Villa Gesell, some 400 km south of the capital), a favoured destination for teenagers and young adults.

The Argentine Rugby Union has said it is "deeply dismayed" by the incident.

– TIMES/AFP