Rapid Response Network

Please see the attached letter (November 14, 2019) we sent to officials in Honduras regarding the assassination of journalist Buenaventura Calderón, killed by armed gunmen in front of his house on November 1. His wife was also killed in the attack.

We are horrified at the kidnapping and torture in Tegucigalpa of professor and union leader Jaime Atilio Rodríguez. On October 28 Mr. Rodríguez was on his way to the bus in Tegucigalpa when he was taken in a vehicle, blindfolded, tortured, stabbed in the throat and left for dead after being dumped near the Choluteca River. Fortunately, on October 29, he was able to make a phone call which resulted in his rescue and hospital treatment. His vocal cords may be permanently damaged.

We are very concerned about the disappearance of indigenous community leader Arnulfo Cerón Soriano. He was last seen by his wife at 7:45pm on October 11 when he left home to give a lecture in Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero. At about 12pm the next day, his vehicle, with the keys still in place, was found abandoned in the residential area of Magisterio. His whereabouts remain unknown.

We are very concernedabout the escalation of violent deaths, primarily of women, in the Garfuna (African-Caribbean descendant) communities. Since the beginning of September, at least five women have been killed in Colón and Cortés Departments.

We are writing to urge you to release all political prisoners in Honduras. We understand there are still 15 imprisoned and that most have been charged with crimes in the past two years, after the disputed presidential election of November 2017 (which many call fraudulent). They are often detained on false charges, such as arson and property damage. They are unnecessarily and unjustly investigated for terrorism. Sometimes cases are heard in national jurisdiction courts that have no jurisdiction over the charges against them. All of this illustrates the systematic political persecution and targeting of pro-democracy activists opposed to the government. Honduran law and due process are being violated.

We are deeply disturbed by the increasing number of assassinations of indigenous social leaders throughout Colombia. We urge that you investigate the killings of the following four person: Toribio Canas Velasco, Lilia Patricia García, Oneida Epiayú, Constantino Ramírez Bedoya

We are outraged at the Public Prosecutor’s decision to appeal a lower court’s acquittal of aggravated homicide charges against Evelyn Hernández in connection with an obstetric emergency. Evelyn Hernández, 21, was raped by a gang member and was unaware of her pregnancy until just before delivering a stillborn son in April 2016. After she was treated at a hospital, the attending staff reported her to the police. She was arrested, tried, and sentenced to 30 years in jail for aggravated homicide. In 2018, a higher court overturned this ruling and ordered a re-trial.

We are horrified at the attack in Tegucigalpa on Sandra Maribel Sánchez, an anchor and journalist for Radio Progreso. On September 26 at about 5:30p.m. when she was getting out of her car at her home, an unidentified man got off a motorcycle that had no license plates, pointed a 9mm caliber revolver at her head and ordered her to get back in the car. Fortunately for Sandra Sánchez, another car came by at that moment and the attacker immediately fled.

‌On September‌ ‌22,‌ ‌agents‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Police‌ ‌Investigation‌ ‌Directorate‌ ‌(DPI)‌ arrived at the home ‌of‌ ‌María‌ ‌Concepción‌ ‌Hernández‌ ‌with‌ ‌an‌ ‌arrest‌ ‌warrant, and‌ ‌took her to a jail in Amapala municipality. She is accused of the ‌crime‌ ‌of‌ ‌usurpation‌ ‌of‌ ‌land‌. For many years, landowner ‌Jorge‌ ‌Cassis‌ ‌Leiva has ‌harassed‌ ‌and‌ ‌threatened‌ ‌the‌ ‌inhabitants‌ ‌of‌ ‌Playa‌ ‌Blanca,‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌Zacate‌ ‌Grande‌ peninsula in the Gulf of Fonseca.‌ ‌ Her family has been the victim of previous attacks by landowner ‌Jorge‌ ‌Cassis‌ ‌Leiva. In February, Sabino González, an employee of Cassis, attacked Santos Hernández, the domestic partner of ‌María‌ ‌Concepción‌ ‌Hernández, sending him to the hospital with head and leg injuries.