Human rights defenders in Honduras are subjected to acts of harassment, death threats, violent attacks, judicial harassment, defamation suits, ill-treatment, torture and killings. There is a growing trend of attacks carried out against human rights defenders by private security firms who employee members of former “death squads”. State security forces have been both directly and indirectly implicated in violent attacks on human rights defenders. The perpetrators of violations against many defenders of environmental, land and indigenous rights, are influential landowners or logging companies.

Environmentalists, LGBTI activists, defenders of economic, social and cultural rights, lawyers, journalists, peasant, indigenous and community leaders continue to face harassment and attacks. Defenders of LGBTI rights are particularly vulnerable and face discrimination as they are depicted as a danger to society, most notably by religious orders or politicians. The stigmitisation and harassment of LGBTI activists is of particular concern as they also carry out important work, training and educating local communities on HIV/AIDS as Honduras is the Central American country most affected by the disease.

URGENT CASES

Honduras: Death threat and ongoing intimidation against human rights defender Ms Dina Meetabel Meza Elvir

Post date: 2012/04/17

On 14 April 2012, journalist Ms Dina Meetabel Meza Elvir received the latest in a series of threatening messages,who has also been subjected to surveillance and intimidation for a couple of months.

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