honduras
‘theY can’t cLip our wings’
for over 30 years, a group of human rights defenders in honduras has been a beacon of hope for people whose rights have been violated.
E
bed Yanez, 15, left his house in Tegucigalpa late at night on 26 May 2012, without telling his parents. Riding his father’s motorbike without a licence, he went to meet a girl. But going out at night in the Honduran capital is dangerous. Ebed never came home. The next day, his worried parents looked for him everywhere, until they found his dead body at the morgue. He had been shot. Wilfredo Yanez, Ebed’s father, wanted justice for his son. He followed leads and collected evidence, putting himself at great risk. A few days later, Wilfredo discovered that soldiers had shot Ebed after he failed to stop at an army checkpoint. Wilfredo complained to the Public Prosecutor, but he didn’t hold out much hope that they would help him. After the 2009 military coup, Honduras’ state institutions became even weaker than before. And the already worrying human rights situation worsened. According to UN statistics, Honduras has the world’s highest murder rate, and only 20% of all criminal cases are investigated. It is one of the poorest countries in the Americas, with 60% of the population living in poverty. The police are notoriously corrupt, and often linked to organized crime. As the drug trafficking cartels expand their reach, the authorities have responded by putting more soldiers on the streets. So like most victims of human rights violations in Honduras, Wilfredo also approached the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH) for help.
no strangers to danger Standing up for human rights in Honduras is dangerous. Journalists, lawyers, trade unionists, Indigenous and peasant farmer leaders have been killed because of their work to defend human rights. COFADEH’s activists have received text messages threatening them with sexual violence and been physically attacked. Their offices have been broken
into many times. But none of this has stopped them promoting and defending human rights in Honduras for over 30 years. The organization was founded in 1982 by the relatives of political activists, students and trade union leaders who were “disappeared” by the security forces during a previous military government.
“People feel moved when they look at the doves, now more than ever, it’s important to keep the solidarity campaign going.” Since then, it has continued to collect testimony from victims, protecting people at risk and supporting people who, like Wilfredo, are searching for justice.
shot on a fishing trip Visiting COFADEH’s office in central Tegucigalpa is a memorable experience. People wait patiently to tell their stories to their lawyers, hoping that they can help. Many have travelled far to get here. Many victims of human rights abuses we spoke to said that they didn’t report crimes to the authorities because they don’t trust them and are scared. They prefer to file a complaint with COFADEH, who then pass it on to the prosecutors. When Amnesty last visited the organization in May 2013, we met Wilmer Sabillón, a young man. A few weeks before, he had been shot by a navy officer during a fishing trip. Wilmer didn’t get proper medical help and is still recovering. Wilmer was very relieved to have found COFADEH. Within hours, it had arranged for Wilmer be examined by a forensic doctor. It also filed a complaint with Honduras’ Human Rights Prosecutor, and got the case moving through the legal system. Throughout the day, a COFADEH representative stayed by Wilmer and his family’s side. And in August, a navy officer was officially charged with Wilmer’s attempted murder.
> > > 22 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >take>action > >onLine > amnestY.org/indiViduaLs-at-risk >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wire [ noV/dec 2013 ]