Honduras: Firings Undercut Judicial Independence

[Judi Lynn]

May 19, 2010
5:24 PM
CONTACT: Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Honduras: Firings Undercut Judicial Independence
Supreme Court Should Reinstate Judges Immediately

WASHINGTON - May 19 - The firing of judges who opposed the 2009 coup is a serious blow to judicial independence in Honduras, Human Rights Watch said today.

On May 12, 2010, the Honduran Supreme Court ratified its May 5 vote to dismiss four lower-court judges who are members of Judges for Democracy, a group that has challenged the legality of the coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya last year.

"The Honduran judiciary should be working to re-establish the rule of law and remedy the damage done by last year's coup," said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "By firing these judges, the Supreme Court is doing precisely the opposite."

Judge Ramón Barrios was removed for publicly criticizing a June 2009 Supreme Court ruling that validated the coup. Barrios issued his critique at an academic conference at the University of San Pedro Sula, where he teaches law. According to the judiciary's personnel office, the reason for dismissing Barrios was that his criticism "undermined the dignity" of the judiciary.

Judge Guillermo López Lone, the president of Judges for Democracy, and Judge Luis Chévez de la Rocha were removed for participating in public demonstrations calling for Zelaya to be reinstated. The political nature of this ruling is evidenced by the fact that in June 2009, the judiciary's personnel director issued an official invitation to all judicial branch employees, including judges, to attend a public demonstration in favor of the de facto government.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/05/19-9

[SharonAnn]

1. It was obvious during the ocup that the Supreme Court was not independent,

but that it was political and as interested in power is its political allies.

I'm so sorry to see this happening. I lived in Honduras during 1979-1980, the last years of the military junta, and it was a beautiful country with an awful, murdering government.

And the U.S. supports all these anti-democracy people. I just hate that.

[Judi Lynn]

2. The Honduran people have lived through hell at the hands of some monstrous people.

What an unforgiveable shame to see a powerful country supporting, manipulating the small, powerful group of criminals running their entire government again.

Bitterly, hideously cruel, and stupid.