Sr. Juan Orlando Hernández
President of the Republic of Honduras
Sr. Oscar Chinchilla Banegas
Attorney General of Honduras
Dear Sirs:
We are deeply concerned about reports of acts of intimidation and harassment against Reina Lilian Rodriguez and her team. She is a lawyer and Southern Regional Delegate of the National Human Rights Commission (CONADEH).
On June 30, an unknown person driving a beige car was seen taking pictures of the cars, the building and the persons standing outside the offices of the National Human Rights Commission. The Commission’s delegation was documenting complaints from teachers, members of Section 6 of the Worker’s Sindicate of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (SITRAUNAH) and students who had organized to denounce the acts of harassment and intimidation within the Regional University Centre. Soon after collecting the testimonies, the delegation observed that their official car had been vandalized. Later that evening, Reina Lilian Rodríguez observed a taxi driver taking pictures of her home. He remained in front of her house for a half hour. She immediately reported the incident to the national police providing them with the registration number of the taxi and the vehicle’s plate.
The threats are linked to an investigation CONADEH is carrying out into the killing from June 17 of Héctor Orlando Martínez Motiño, President of Section 6 of SITRAUNAH. He was shot and killed by unidentified persons as he was driving home. At the time he was defending the case of a student who had been a victim of sexual harassment by a teacher, as well as a number of cases of violation of labor rights within the Regional University Centre (CURLP) (cf our letter of July 1).
Because we believe the harassment of Reina Lilian Rodríguez is motivated solely by her legitimate work in defense of human rights, we strongly urge that you
- carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into these acts of intimidation publish the results and bring those responsible to justice;
- take all necessary measures to guarantee the security of Reina Lilian Rodriguez;
- guarantee that human rights defenders are, in all circumstances, able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, including judicial harassment.
Sincerely,
Brian J. Stefan Szittai Christine Stonebraker-Martínez
Co-Coordinators
