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Appendix 2 IACHR June 7 Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

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IACHR PUBLISHES OBSERVATIONS ON FOLLOW-UP VISIT TO HONDURAS

Lima, Peru, June 7, 2010The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights(IACHR) today published its Preliminary Observations on the visit it carried out toHonduras on May 15-18, 2010, to follow up on its August 2009 on-site visit and itsreport Honduras: Human Rights and the Coup d'tat.

During the May 2010 visit, the Commission verified that human rights violationscontinue in the context of the coup d'tat. The IACHR received information on themurder of a number of persons, including journalists and human rights defenders. Inaddition, human rights defenders, journalists, social communicators, teachers, tradeunion members, and members of the Resistance are subject to threats andharassment.

The IACHR believes that the complaints received could correspond to the samepattern of violence begun in the context of the coup d'tat. The murders, threats,and acts of harassment are not investigated in a way that would make it possible toclarify whether or not they are related to the context of the coup d'tat.

In this regard, the Commission was able to verify that impunity for human rightsviolations continues, both in terms of violations verified in the IACHR report as wellas those in the March 3, 2010, report of the UN High Commissioner for HumanRights. The Commission was informed that only one person is being held in custodyfor human rights violations, while another 12 individuals have been charged but thecases are not moving forward, among other reasons due to the lack of investigationby the various State bodies, particularly the security forces handling the

investigations. The generalized impunity for human rights violations is facilitated bydecisions of the Supreme Court of Justice that weaken the rule of law. In addition tothe Supreme Court's disputed role during the coup dtat, it subsequently decided,on the one hand, to dismiss charges against the members of the military accused ofparticipating in the coup and, on the other, to dismiss judges and magistrates whosought to prevent the coup through democratic means.

The IACHR has also granted a number of precautionary measures to protect personsat risk. Both civil society organizations as well as the beneficiaries themselves havereported serious problems in the implementation of the precautionary measures. Forexample, journalist Nahm Palacios was a beneficiary of these protection measureswhen he was killed on March 14, 2010. The Commission urges the State of Hondurasto comply effectively and as soon as possible with each of the precautionary

measures granted by the IACHR.

The IACHR again calls on the authorities to review the Amnesty Decree, taking intoaccount the State's obligations in light of international treaties and especially itsobligation to investigate and punish serious human rights violations.

The Commission welcomes the appointment of the advisory Minister on humanrights. However, it notes that to date she has not received the resources, mandate,or structure that would make it possible to do an effective job, one that helps

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Appendix 2 IACHR June 7 Press Release

transform the State toward a culture that is respectful of human rights. With thecurrent structure, it is practically impossible for the Minister to have a significantimpact on the observance of human rights.

In its Preliminary Observations, the IACHR denounced the militarization of societythat has resulted from the coup d'tat. In this regard, it views with concern the fact

that high-ranking Army officers or former members of the Army who have beenaccused of participating in the coup are holding high-level management positions inpublic offices in the government of Porfirio Lobo. For example, Division GeneralVenancio Cervantes is Director General of the Bureau of Migration and AlienAffairs(he was Deputy Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time of the coupd'tat); Brigade General Manuel Enrique Cceres is Director of Civil Aeronautics;former General Nelson Wily Meja is in charge of the Bureau of the Merchant Marine;and former General Romeo Vsquez Velsquez (who was Commander in Chief of theAir Force at the time of the coup) is now head of the Honduran TelecommunicationsCompany (Empresa Hondurea de Telecomunicaciones, Hondutel).

The IACHR, a principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States(OAS), derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention onHuman Rights. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who actin a personal capacity, without representing a particular country, and who areelected by the OAS General Assembly.

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