Sr. Juan Orlando Hernández
President of the Republic of Honduras
Sr. Oscar Chinchilla Banegas
Attorney General of Honduras
Dear Sirs:
We are outraged at the continuing violence against LGBTI defenders, including threats against 6 persons, attacks on four, and killings of three (Violeta R, Angy Ferreira, Juan Carlos Cruz Andara) over the past five months:
August 31 - transwoman Jlo Córdoba, a member of the LGBT Rainbow Association (Arcoiris) was told in a shop near her home in Tegucigalpa that she was on a list, along with “all the others.” She had received a similar threat at 8:30pm on August 14 when three unknown men, appearing to be from the military, attacked her near the Arcoiris offices, hitting her in the face with a pipe and causing her to lose two teeth from their kicks and punches.
August 23 - transwoman Violeta R was found killed in the El Carrizal area of Tegucigalpa. On the same day, the National Police visited the Arcoiris offices to allegedly take photos, with all personnel present, and investigate where they could install security cameras. They left when Donny Reyes, the director, asked to see the required warrant, which they did not have.
August 20 - Marco Aurelio López, Director of the Asociación Manos Amigas (LGBT AMA) in La Ceiba in Atlántida Department, was intercepted following a meeting at Arcoiris, forced into a military squad car, taken to another location in the city, and was beaten and raped by agents of the military police. It is believed that Aurelio López was mistaken for Donny Reyes as the real target of this attack.
August 15 - transwoman Paola Barraza was hospitalized after an attack near the Arcoiris offices when unknown men shot her numerous times, with one bullet hitting her face.
August 1 – Police stopped a taxi with passengers Wilmer Rodas and Donny Reyes who had just left an Arcoiris celebration, spoke to them in an intimidating manner, asked them where they were coming from and what they were doing. They have not filed a complaint for fear of reprisals.
June 26 - Angy Ferreira, member of Arcoiris and LGBTI rights organization Kukulcanhn Tegucigalpa, was killed three blocks from the Arcoiris offices as she distributed condoms to transwomen.
June 23 - LGBTI journalist, Juan Carlos Cruz Andara, was stabbed 15 times and killed in his home in Puerto Cortés in Cortés Department.
May 17 – Arcoiris member, Ruby Ferreira, was brutally attacked by unknown persons.
April 26 - At 2pm a car slowed down near pedestrian Arcoiris members Ruby Ferreira, Kendry Sayury Hilton and Faviola Yescas, a passenger pointed a gun at them, used derogatory language and made sounds imitating gunfire.
According to the National Human Rights Commissioner of Honduras (CONADEH) there were 141 violent deaths of LGBTI persons from January 2010 through October 2014. Only 30 cases have been prosecuted, of which nine have resulted in convictions and four in acquittals. Because of the ongoing abuse of LGBTI persons, we strongly urge that you take immediate steps to establish and implement protection measures for them and investigate and prosecute the attacks against them.
Sincerely,
Brian J. Stefan Szittai Christine Stonebraker-Martínez
Co-Coordinators
