Honduran Indigenous leaders at risk of unfair imprisonment
Honduran Indigenous leaders at risk of unfair imprisonment
19 September 2013
Authorities in Honduras must drop spurious charges against three indigenous leaders who will receive a verdict in their trial tomorrow. There have been increasing attacks against human rights defenders in the country ahead of presidential elections in November, Amnesty International said.
“Defending human rights in Honduras has become a life-threatening activity with Indigenous leaders protecting their peoples’ rights, being particularly vulnerable to attack,” said Nancy Tapias Torrado, Researcher on Human Rights Defenders in the Americas at Amnesty International. She met with the three leaders in May.
Indigenous leaders Bertha Cáceres, Tomás Gómez and Aureliano Molina, have been charged with “usurpation, coercion and continued damages” for allegedly inciting others to commit these crimes. If they are imprisoned, Amnesty International will consider them prisoners of conscience.
The three defendants were at the forefront of a campaign regarding a hydroelectric project in Rio Blanco, north-west Honduras where the Lenca Indigenous community live. They want their human rights, including that to free, prior and informed consent over the development, to be respected.
More:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/honduras-indigenous-leaders-2013-09-19