Blanca Sarahí Izaguirre Lozano | National Commissioner for Human Rights of Honduras (CONADEH)
Rosa Seaman | Vice-Minister for Protection, Secretariat for Human Rights (SEDH)
April 15, 2022
Dear Commissioner Izaguirre and Vice-Minister Seaman:
We are writing to you today because we are extremely concerned about an incident that targeted a leader of the LGBTI community. An armed man on a motorcycle with a gun in his hand threatened the lawyer Roger Mariano Silva Carbajal, member of the LGTBI organization SOMOS-CDC (Centro para el Desarollo y la Cooperación LGBTI), and snatched his computer containing information pertaining to that group.
The incident took place on March 15 as Roger Mariano Silva Carbajal was leaving work at the SOMOS CDC office in Colonia Payaquí in Tegucigalpa. On his way home, he had to brake for a man on a motorcycle in the road, who then gave chase and threatened him with a gun, stealing his computer at gunpoint.
This incident was denounced to the Police Investigations Directorate (DPI), but we are unaware as to whether an investigation has been conducted. It is important to note that this event occurred just one day before Roger Mariano Silva Carbajal was to serve as a panelist on the 183rd session of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission convocation, where he was set to talk about the problematic human rights situation of LGBTI persons in Honduras.
This is not the first time LGTBI-SOMOS CDC has been the target of attacks, in spite of having requested in August 2021 the implementation of protective orders to safeguard the lives and rights of LGBTI human rights defenders.
We strongly urge you to:
- conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the armed robbery and threats targeting Roger Mariano Silva Carbajal, publish the results, and bring the perpetrators to justice
- guarantee that all LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of restrictions or reprisals in Honduras
copies:
Luis Suazo Barahona, Ambassador of Honduras to the US ~ via email and US mail
Carlos Bernal Pulido, Rapporteur for Honduras, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ~ via email and US mail
Roberta Clarke, Rapporteur on the Rights of LGTBI Persons , Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ~ via email, US mail
Isabel Albaladejo Escribano, Representative to Honduras of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OACNUDH) ~ via email
Alice Shackelford, UN Resident Coordinator in Honduras, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ~ via email
US Embassy in Honduras: Colleen Hoey, Chargé d’Affaires; Nate Rettenmayer, Political Officer; Ariel Jahner, Human Rights Officer ~ via email
US State Department: Molly Runyon, Honduras Desk Officer ~ via email
US Senators Brown & Portman ~ via email
US Representatives Beatty, Brown, Gibbs, González, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Kaptur, Latta, Ryan ~ via email
29 MAR 2022_Pasosdeanimalgrande_Honduras
