AI Index: AMR 37/012/2004
04 November 2004
Further Information on UA 141/03

FEAR FOR SAFETY/HARASSMENT

STAFF OF CENTRO DE PREVENCIÓN, REHABILITACIÓN Y TRATAMIENTO
DE LAS VÍCTIMAS DE TORTURA Y SUS FAMILIARES,

CENTRE FOR THE PREVENTION, REHABILITATION AND TREATMENT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE AND THEIR RELATIVES

Death threats left during a break-in at the offices of Centro de Prevención, Tratamiento y Rehabilitación de las Víctimas de Tortura y sus familiares (CPTRT), Centre for the Prevention, Rehabilitation and Treatment of Victims of Torture, on 26 October have renewed fears for the safety of members of the human rights organization.

The CPTRT offices, which are based in the capital, Tegucigalpa, were broken into during the night of 26 October. Intruders went through documents and files, and wrote threats on the walls of the office of Alba Mejía, the organization?s Deputy Director. In the office of Dr. Juan Almendares, the Director, books were arranged in the form of a cross, a
symbol considered in Honduras to be a death threat.

This is the third time the CPTRT offices have been targeted. During a break-in on 12 May 2003, files and office equipment were destroyed and staff members received coded death threats. Similarly during a raid in December 2003 a substantial number of files were stolen. Neither of these attacks has been properly investigated, nor have staff members been offered protection.

The attacks are thought to be motivated by the human rights work that the CPTRT undertakes.

The organization has frequently criticized the government on issues such as the involvement of the police in extrajudicial executions of children, and the complicity of security officers in the death of 69 inmates at El Porvenir prison in April 2003 and 106 inmates at the San Pedro Sula prison in May 2004.

The organization has recently supported members of the Public Ministry who have been dismissed from their posts simply for raising their concerns about internal corruption.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Honduran human rights defenders are frequently attacked threatened and
intimidated because of their legitimate activities. The authorities rarely
investigate these cases effectively, thus encouraging those responsible to
continue in the knowledge that their impunity is all but guaranteed.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

• expressing concern at the break-in and implicit threats carried out at the offices of the CPTRT in Tegucigalpa;
• urging an immediate, full and impartial investigation into the break-in and for the results of the investigation to be made public;
• calling on the authorities to take immediate steps to guarantee the safety of the organization's staff members.

APPEALS TO:

(It may be difficult to send faxes to Honduras)

President of the Honduras Republic
Lic. Ricardo Maduro
Presidente de la República de Honduras
Casa Presidencial
Boulevard Juan Pablo Segundo
Palacio José Cecilio del Valle
Tegucigalpa,
HONDURAS
Fax: 00 504 235 7700
Salutation: Dear President/ Señor Presidente

Minister of Security
Dr. Oscar Alvarez
Ministro de Seguridad
Ministerio de Seguridad Pública
Edificio Poujol, 4o piso
Col. Palmira (Blvd. Morazán)
Tegucigalpa,
HONDURAS
Fax: 00 504 220 4479
Salutation: Dear Minister/ Estimado Señor Ministro

COPIES TO:

Centre for the Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims
(CPTRT)
Barrio San Rafael segunda calle N. 1513
contiguo Edificio Apartamentos San Rafael
A.P. 5377
Tegucigalpa,
HONDURAS
Fax: 00 504 236 8027
(if someone answers ask for the fax 'me da tono de fax por favor')

National Commissioner for the Protection of Human Rights
Dr. Ramón Custodio López
Comisionado Nacional de Protección
de los Derechos Humanos (CONADEH)
Avda. La Paz No. 2444
Contiguo a Galerías La Paz
Tegucigalpa,
HONDURAS
Fax: 00 504 232 6894
E-mail: central@conadeh.hn/ custodiolopez@conadeh.hn
Salutation: Dear Commissioner/ Señor Comisionado

Embassy of Honduras
HE Mr Hernan Antonio Bermudez
Embassy of Honduras
115 Gloucester Place
London W1H 3PJ,
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: 00 44 207 486 4880
Faxes: 00 44 207 486 4550
Email: hondurasuk@lineone.net

Check with the Irish section office if sending appeals after 16 December 2004

Guidelines for writing letters can be found in the Letter Writing Guide.