AMR 37/005/2007
Further Information on UA 329/06 (AMR 37/007/2006, 8 December 2006) and follow-up (AMR 37/008/2006, 20 December 2006) -
21 May 2007
Félix Antonio Cáceres Alvarenga, a lawyer with the human rights organization, the Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ), Association for a More Just Society, is reported to have received a death threat on 17 May. Other members of the ASJ have allegedly been the victims of continued surveillance and threats since the killing of ASJ lawyer Dionisio Díaz García on 4 December 2006.
At around 3pm on the afternoon of 17 May, Félix Antonio Cáceres Alvarenga reportedly received a death threat in a text message sent to his mobile phone. The message read : “Será mejor que se retire de […] o lo dejamos como a Dionisio” (It would be best for you to leave [a private security company] alone or you’ll end up like Dionisio). Félix Cáceres has been working on cases of labour disputes in private security companies.
Dionisio Díaz García, a lawyer working for the ASJ, was shot dead by a man riding pillion on a motorbike. At the time he was killed, Dionisio Díaz García had been representing a number of former security guards who claimed to have been unfairly dismissed. In the weeks following his killing, other members of ASJ received threats by text message and were allegedly followed and watched, including by people parked outside their homes.
On 22 December 2006, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requested that the Honduran government implement precautionary measures to guarantee the safety of ASJ members. There is concern that these measures have not been fully implemented, leaving ASJ members potentially vulnerable to attack. To date, those responsible for the killing of Dionisio Díaz García have still not been brought to justice, over five months after his murder.
RECOMMENDED ACTION : Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Spanish or your own language :
expressing grave concern at the death threat reportedly received by Félix Antonio Cáceres Alvarenga on 17 May ;
asking that the authorities take immediate action to provide effective protection for Félix Cáceres and other ASJ members, in accordance with their own wishes and in compliance with the precautionary measures requested by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ;
urging the authorities to order a thorough investigation into the threat reportedly received by Félix Cáceres, and to bring those responsible to justice ;
reminding the authorities that they are obliged to recognize the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders and their right to carry out their activities without any restrictions or fear of reprisals, as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights and Responsibilities of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Liberties.
APPEALS TO :
President of the Honduran Republic Manuel Zelaya Presidente de la República de Honduras Casa Presidencial Boulevard Juan Pablo Segundo Palacio José Cecilio del Valle Tegucigalpa, Honduras Fax : +504 235 7700 Salutation : Dear President/Estimado Señor Presidente
Public Security Minister Álvaro Romero Minister of Public Security Ministry of Public Security Edificio Pujol, 4to. Piso, Col. Plamira (Blvd. Morazán) Tegucigalpa, Honduras Fax : +504 220 4352 Salutation : Dear Minister/Estimado Sr. Ministro
Attorney General Leónidas Rosa Bautista Fiscal General del Estado Ministerio Público Lomas del Guijarro, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Fax : +504 221 5667 (say “tono de fax, por favor”) Salutation : Dear Attorney General/Estimado Sr. Fiscal General
COPIES TO :
Human rights non-governmental organization (NGO) Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ) Apartado Postal 30676, Toncontín Comayagüela, Honduras
Ambassade de la République du Honduras
Avenue des Gaulois 3
1040 Bruxelles
Fax : 02.735.26.26
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 2 July 2007.
