Amnesty International Report 2002 - Honduras

Covering events from January-December 2001

Republic of Honduras
Head of state and government: Carlos Flores Facussé
Capital: Tegucigalpa
Population: 6.6 million
Official language: Spanish
Death penalty: abolitionist for all crimes

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A community leader was killed amid continued threats to human rights defenders. Formal criminal charges were brought against several and they faced a campaign to discredit their work. Demonstrators were injured as a result of excessive use of force by the police in breaking up demonstrations. Members of indigenous groups faced renewed attacks, including killings, beatings and ill-treatment by the police and unjustified criminal charges. There were reports of ill-treatment in prisons, and conditions amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Background

The general election was held in November. The opposition National Party won and Ricardo Maduro was elected President.

Little headway was made to address the serious institutional problems affecting the police force and the judiciary, and public confidence in them remained low. Although the Ministry of Security approved plans to dismiss national police members who had committed crimes, including human rights violations, in the course of their work, no official investigations were carried out into the actions of former officers. The judiciary faced accusations of corruption and inefficiency. A new system to elect members to the Supreme Court was established with the aim of making it more independent.

The crime rate remained high and kidnappings for ransom increased. Youth gangs known as "maras" were assumed to be responsible for many crimes. Deaths of maras members were often attributed to inter-gang conflicts but there was also concern that they could have been victims of "social cleansing" by individuals allegedly acting with the consent or complicity of the police.

Human rights defenders

Human rights defenders faced threats, attacks and criminal charges as a result of their work. Certain government authorities attempted to discredit their activities by making public statements alleging that they were protecting criminals.

• Peter Marchetti, a US citizen and Jesuit priest who worked on land issues with the Aguán Peasant Movement, was threatened in June by gunmen who went to his church. Both Peter Marchetti and Santos Figueroa, another human rights defender who was also threatened, had been active in efforts to bring to justice those responsible for the death of Carlos Escaleras, an environmental activist and politician shot dead in October 1997 in Tocoa, Colón department. As a result of the threats Peter Marchetti was forced to leave the country.
• Carlos Roberto Flores, a community leader and environmental activist, was shot dead on 30 June by security guards outside his home in El Ocotal, Gualaco, Olancho department. He was among a group of local activists opposed to the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the region. Charges were filed against five security guards and arrest warrants were issued in August. By the end of the year they had not been arrested. Many others in the area, including the mayor of Gualaco, had been intimidated and threatened, some with death. In July, a demonstration protesting at the killing of Carlos Roberto Flores and the failure of the authorities to protect the local population was dispersed with tear gas, water cannons and batons. There were some arrests but all those detained were later released. Human rights defenders were among 22 people against whom police later initiated criminal proceedings before the First Criminal Court in Tegucigalpa. Charges included contempt, disobedience and assault. There was no progress in the proceedings against the 22 who, if imprisoned, would have been considered prisoners of conscience by AI.

Indigenous groups

In November José Roberto Isidro, a Chorti, was shot dead by police during a demonstration over land rights in Ocotepeque department. The September 2000 agreement in which the authorities made a number of commitments to indigenous groups was not fully honoured. In particular, an agreed program to investigate the killing of indigenous and black people in previous years was not set up and a large majority of cases remained unresolved. Members of indigenous groups were among those injured in July when police dispersed demonstrations protesting at the killing of Carlos Roberto Flores (see above).

Update

In July Salvador Zúñiga was one of the 22 people who had criminal charges filed against them following the July demonstration (see above). However, he was not in Tegucigalpa at the time but at home in La Esperanza, 200km away. This was perceived by indigenous groups and others as further harassment by the authorities. He had been harassed and intimidated in June 2000 for his activities on behalf of indigenous people.

Impunity

There was no significant progress in the investigation or judicial proceedings regarding cases of "disappearance" in the 1980s. The office of the Special Human Rights Prosecutor in the Attorney General's Office organized exhumations in a specific location but no remains of known "disappeared" people were found. No investigations were begun into more recent cases, including deaths of street children and other young people believed to be maras members.

• In April AI asked the authorities to take advantage of the return to Honduras of José Barrera, a former member of the armed forces, to initiate an investigation into past "disappearances". In September the Special Human Rights Prosecutor in the Attorney General's Office filed charges against José Barrera of providing false evidence. This step was taken after he had retracted a statement he made in 1987 regarding the involvement of military personnel in human rights violations as well as certain "disappearance" cases, including that of José Eduardo López who was arrested and tortured in 1981 and who "disappeared" in 1984.

National police

The police force was responsible for human rights violations against peaceful demonstrators and others. In June a group of members of the Aguán Peasant Movement were demonstrating in favour of rights to land in the former Centro de Entrenamiento Militar (CREM), Military Training Centre, when the police and riot police dispersed them using live ammunition, tear gas and batons. Sixteen people were injured, some suffering bullet wounds. In June Trinidad Sánchez was shot dead when the police went to his house to arrest him. There was no evidence that he presented a danger to the police. By the end of the year no one had been brought to justice in these cases.

Prisons

There were reports that prisoners were beaten and kept in conditions which amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Prisons were severely overcrowded and often insanitary, causing health problems to inmates.

AI country reports/visits

Reports

• Honduras: José Eduardo López: 20 years later – it is time for justice (AI Index: AMR 37/002/2001)
• Honduras: Stop the impunity. Agreements with indigenous peoples should be honoured now (AI Index: AMR 37/001/2001)
• Honduras: Much remains to be done in terms of human rights (AI Index: AMR 37/011/2001)

Visits

AI delegates visited Honduras in July and August to hold talks with government authorities and meet local organizations and activists.