IACHR Completes Protocol and Promotion Visit to Honduras

September 13, 2022

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Washington, D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) conducted a protocol and promotion visit to Honduras from August 30 to September 1, with the aim of holding talks with Honduran authorities and improving cooperation to enable a better promotion and defense of human rights in the country. The delegation was led by IACHR Vice-President and Commissioner Stuardo Ralón and included Executive Secretary Tania Reneaum and other members of the Executive Secretariat's technical team.

During this working visit, the delegation met with Honduran President Xiomara Castro and with officials at the Foreign Ministry, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Human Rights, the Security Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the Social Development Ministry, the Ministry of Women, and the National Prisons Institute. The delegation also met with the president of the Supreme Court of Justice; the speaker and other members of the National Congress; the Office of the National Commissioner for Human Rights; representatives of several international organizations and diplomatic missions; and representatives of civil society organizations.

"We thank the government of Honduras for its openness to this visit, which enabled honest, constructive talks at the highest level, and for the logistics assistance it provided. We further stress the commitment and will expressed by the State to ensure compliance with the recommendations made by the various mechanisms of the IACHR. At the same time, we highlight the chance we had to meet with various civil society groups, which were open to talks and provided valuable information," said Commissioner Stuardo Ralón.

The Commission received relevant data—from both the State and civil society organizations—about the current situation of human rights in Honduras. This information highlights persistent structural challenges like the situation of defenders, as well as challenges concerning the operations of the national protection mechanism, significant gender-based violence, hurdles in access to land, and the situation of persons who are deprived of liberty.

A meeting was also held in connection with precautionary measure MC-112-16, granted in favor of the family of Berta Isabel Cáceres and members of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations (COPINH) in light of Follow-up Resolution 88/2021. The parties contributed up-to-date information about the implementation of these precautionary measures and agreed on major measures to be adopted. The IACHR commends both parties on their availability to attend this meeting and on their openness during talks. The Commission will continue to monitor these precautionary measures and remains willing to provide technical assistance to support the effective protection of beneficiaries.

The IACHR also took part in training sessions for State officials and civil society organizations concerning the standards applicable in terms of the economic, social, and cultural rights of indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, as well as the impact of organized crime on the human rights of women, children, and young people.

"We highlight this visit as an opportunity to sustain a positive agenda based on dialogue with the State and to create a technical assistance team able to support the promotion and defense of human rights in Honduras," said IACHR Executive Secretary Tania Reneaum.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 202/22

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