Take Action: Threats toward Hector Soto in Honduras

On the recent USESSC trip to Honduras we received a request from our friends at COFADEH, The Committee of Family Members of the Detained  and Disappeared of Honduras, for an urgent action in support  their colleague, Hector Soto, a leader in the Honduran resistance and director of the Civil Society Group in Honduras.

 

1. Take action to support Hector Soto immediately  

Hector Soto, director of the Civil Society Group in Honduras, has been receiving repeated threats over the past year. Please take action to call for Soto’s protection. Please email and fax the Honduran authorities to call for Soto’s protection. For more background on the threats, click here.

 

Email:
Paste the following emails for Jorge Aviles, President of the Supreme Court, Luis Rubi, Attorney General, and Leonardo Irias, Honduran Ambassador to the U.S.: cedij@poderjudicial.gob.hn, lrubi@mp.hn, consulado.washington@hondurasemb.org, berthacofadeh@yahoo.com

 

Fax:
If you would like to send a fax, please email sistercitiesfax@hotmail.com with your name and city

Sample Letter
===================================================================

Estimad@s señores Jorge Alberto Rivera Avilés, Presidente de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de Honduras, Luis Alberto Rubí, Fiscal General de la República y Leonardo Irias de la Embajada de Honduras en Washington, DC:

Es con gran preocupación que les escribo a Uds. para denunciar los actos de amenaza e intimidación en contra de Héctor Soto, director del Grupo Sociedad Civil en Honduras. Héctor Soto ha sido víctima de varias ataques sistemáticos debido a su labor frente a dicha agrupación.

A mi, me preocupan los ataques en contra de Héctor Soto, máxime cuando no se trata de un caso aislado. Según se nos ha informado, grupos organizados de Juventud han denunciado intentos de secuestro en contra de sus miembros, frecuentes amenazas a muerte por mensajes de texto en sus teléfonos celulares que son firmados por agrupaciones desconocidas o clandestinas.  A esto se le suma la presencia innecesaria de la policía en los centros educativos que ha generado actos de detención arbitraria y lesionados en contra de los jóvenes, como en los Institutos de secundaria Central Vicente Cáceres y Jesús Aguilar Paz, así como en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.Todo este cuadro de intimidación y amedrentamiento hacia los jóvenes, es contrario al Estado de Derecho y violenta los derechos a la vida y a la integridad, a la libertad de expresión y pensamiento, reunión y asociación, protegidos por los convenios internacionales firmados y ratificados por el Estado de Honduras.

Debido a lo anterior le pido a Uds., como representantes del Estado de Honduras, de acuerdo a sus obligaciones internacionales:

a- Que en forma inmediata tome las medidas necesarias e implemente mecanismos efectivos para proteger la vida e integridad de Héctor Soto y garantice el ejercicio de su trabajo;

b- Que se lleve a cabo una investigación urgente, exhaustiva e imparcial sobre los hechos y que hagan públicos sus resultados y suprimir la política de represión en contra de la juventud hondureña;

c- Que cese la política de intimidación policiaca hacia las y los jóvenes en Honduras.

Les informo que compartire esta informacion con mis amig@s, colegas, y oficiales en los Estados Unidos y alrededor del mundo para que esten pendientes sobre la situacion de Hector Soto. Espero sus respuestas sobre las preocupaciones anotadas aqui.

Muchas Gracias.

Atentamente

====================================================================
English Translation:

Dear Jorge Alberto Rivera Avilés, President of the Supreme Court of Honduras, Luis Alberto Rubí , Attorney General of Honduras and Leonardo Irias, Honduran Embassy in Washington, DC:

It is with grave concern that I write each of you to denounce the threats and acts of intimidation against Hector Soto, director of the Civil Society Group in Honduras. Hector Soto has been the victim of a number of sistematic attacks due to his work as part of this group.

These acts of intimidation against Hector Soto are extremely concerning, especially given they are not isolated events. Over the last year, youth groups throughout Honduras have denounced attempted kidnappings of their members and death threats received via texts to their cell phones signed by unknown or clandestine groups. Furthermore, there have been police incursions into educational centers, including the Vicente Caceres and Jesus Aguilar Paz Institutes and the National Autonomous University of Honduras, that have resulted in arbitrary detentions and injuries among the students. This policy of intimidation and threats against young people goes against due process and the rights of life, safety, assembly, and freedom of expression, freedom of thought protected by international human rights covenants signed and ratified by the Republic of Honduras.

In this context and in light of the State of Honduras’ international obligations, we ask that:

a-      You take immediate steps to effectively protect the life and safety of Hector Soto and guarantee his right to carry out his work freely without threats and intimidation

b-      You conduct an urgent, exhaustive and impartial investigation regarding the acts of threats and intimidation against Hector Soto that we have noted above and make public the results of the investigation.

c-       You immediately cease the policy of police and paramilitary intimidation and repression against the youth of Honduras.

I will continue to share this information with friends, colleagues and officials in the United States and around the world so they can follow Hector’s situation and I await your reply to the concerns laid out here. Thank you.

Sincerely,

====================================================================
THANK YOU FOR TAKING ACTION!