WHRDIC condena los asesinatos de defensores/as de derechos LGBTI en Honduras
The Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition(WHRD IC) has learned with deep sadness of the killings of LGBTI rights defenders in Honduras. WHRDICcalls on the Honduran government to provide a safe and conducive environmentfor LGBTI defenders and their work.
Since 23 June 2015, five LGBTI rights defenders have beenkilled; Juan Carlos Cruz Andara, Angy Ferreira, Violeta Rivas, Gloria CarolinaHernández Vásquez, also known as Génesis Hernández and Jorge Alberto Castillo.Angy Ferreira and Violeta Rivas were also trans women, a fact which, coupledwith their human rights work, meant that they were doubly targeted. They werealso members of the Asociación Arcoiris, which works for equality and equityfor the LGBTI community in Tegucigalpa and all of Honduras. Angy Ferreira wasalso a member of the Kukulcán association, and Violeta Rivas of the CozumelTrans association. Génesis Hernández, a poet, and Jorge Alberto Castillo collaboratedwith the Asociación por una Vida Mejor - APUVIMEH (Association for a BetterLife). As the WHRDIC, we recognise their valuable contributions to advancingthe rights of the LGBTI community in Honduras, and celebrate their inspiringactivism while commemorating their loss.
The Asociación Arcoiris has continued its work despite itsmembers having to flee the city, and sometimes the country, owing to thesituation of extreme violence against them. Since April 2015, human rightsdefenders Esdra Yaveth Sosa Sierra, Ruby Ferreira, Kendry Sayury Hilton,Faviola Yescas, Wilmer Rodas and Donny Reyes have all been subjected to seriousthreats and intimidation. Further, human rights defender Marco Aurelio López wasthe target of an attack of such violence that he could easily have lost his life.Members of APUVIMEH were arbitrarily detained for one day and harassed bypolice afterwards. Most worrying of all is that the perpetrators in many ofthese cases are easily identifiable as members of state security forces. APUVIMEHhave had to request protection measures from the IACHR. However, despite theAsociación Arcoiris and Donny Reyes being beneficiaries of precautionarymeasures from the Inter American Commission of Human Rights since 2010, many oftheir members have had to flee anyway, fearing for their lives due to lack of appropriateprotection offered by the state. For example, the provision of security guards only contributes to intimidateLGBTI defenders in the course of their work.
There is a persistent pattern ofthis type of violence towards the LGBTI community in Honduras, which hasworsened since the coup in 2009. Despite Honduras having recently appointed aspecial prosecutor to investigate hate crimes against the LGBTI community inthe country, the situation remains dire for defenders of the community. Thereis also a deep societal bias faced by trans people in Honduras. According to the Commission for Human Rights,92% of killings of LGBTI people in Honduras remain in impunity, while the“Movement for Diversity in Resistance” has stated that of 198 members of itsorganisation killed since 1994, 178 of those have been since the 2009 coup.
WHRD IC recognises the important and valuable work of LGBTIrights defenders in Honduras, particularly given the climate of socialexclusion and hate to which LGBTI people are subjected to in the country. WHRDIC is moved by their determination to continue despite the extreme challengesthey face.
Article 12 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defendersmandates the states to take all necessary measures to ensure protection tohuman rights defenders. The WHRD IC accordingly calls on the Hondurangovernment to immediately take adequate and gender sensitive measures toprotect LGBTI defenders from such horrific attacks, as well as to thoroughlyand impartially investigate the pattern of attacks, threats, intimidation andkillings against all LGBTI rights defenders in Honduras.