VP/HR — EU reaction to attacks on human rights defenders in Honduras

29.3.2017

Question for written answer E-002214-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Ulrike Lunacek (Verts/ALE) , Ernest Urtasun (Verts/ALE)

On 28 February 2017, it was reported that a civil complaint had been filed by a company called Desarrollos Energéticos S.A. against Suyapa Martínez, the director of the Honduras Women’s Studies Centre, a human rights defender and civil society representative on the Advisory Board of the National Human Rights Protection Mechanism.

The civil complaint in question relates to Ms Martínez’s participation in a programme broadcast on national television on 25 November 2016, during which she voiced her opinions on the killing of the indigenous leader and activist Berta Cáceres, and the alleged involvement of Desarrollos Energéticos S.A.

On 1 March 2017, Hedme Castro, Director of the ACI-Participa Association, was arbitrarily detained at Tegucigalpa’s Toncontín International Airport on her way to take part in an event organised by the UN Human Rights Council and meetings with EU authorities in Brussels. These are both examples of assaults on human rights defenders in Honduras.

1. Under the Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, what specific action will the EU be taking to address these assaults against human rights defenders?

2. In what way do these two cases, and the situation with regard to human rights defenders in general, form part of the political dialogue with the authorities in Honduras? How effective is that dialogue?