Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras

Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras

The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH, Spanish: Comité para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos en Honduras) is a human rights NGO in Honduras founded in 1981 by medical doctor Ramón Custodio Lopez.[1]

Contents

Background

Honduras had a history of several coups d'etat and military governments during the second half of the twentieth century. A civilian government was elected in 1981, but human rights violations continued. The military unit Battalion 3-16, which received training and support from the United States Central Intelligence Agency both in Honduras and at U.S. military bases[2] and in Chile during the presidency of the dictator Augusto Pinochet[3], carried out political assassinations and torture of suspected political opponents of the government. Amnesty International estimated that at least 184 people were "disappeared" during from 1980 to 1992 in Honduras, most likely by the Honduran military.[4]

Creation

CODEH was created in May 1981 by Ramón Custodio Lopez, a medical doctor and surgeon and founding member of the Medical College of Honduras.[1] He remained the leader of CODEH until 1999.[1]

Aims

CODEH's human rights aims were initially narrowly focused, but during the 1990s extended to economic and social human rights.[5]

Structure and leadership

Andrés Pavón Murillo has been president of CODEH since 1999.[6] In the spring of 2009 Manuel Zelaya invited the organization's leader Andrés Pavón to a meeting. The two talked about Zelaya's constitutional modification plans as well as re-election, according to Pavón. Pavón "became pro-Zelaya" after the meeting.[7]

Government responses

During the 1980s, CODEH "withstood harassment and intimidation by Honduran security forces".[5] Following testimony that CODEH regional director in northern Honduras, Miguel Ángel Pavón Salazar, gave against the Honduran government in October 1987 before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), he was shot dead on 14 January 1988.[5][8] The Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union found that "initial findings" linked the killing with Ángel Pavon's IACHR testimony and stated that former Battalion 3-16 member Fausto Reyes Caballero had declared the names of Battalion 3-16 members responsible for Ángel Pavon's assassination.[8]

The present president of CODEH, Andrés Pavón Murillo, has had three legal cases against him and one attempt was made to kill him because of his human rights activities.[6]

CODEH reports

In mid-2006, CODEH reported that seven former members of Battalion 3-16 (Billy Joya, Alvaro Romero, Erick Sánchez, Onofre Oyuela Oyuela, Napoleón Nassar Herrera, Vicente Rafael Canales Nuñez, Salomón Escoto Salinas and René Maradianga Panchamé) occupied important positions in the administration of President Manuel Zelaya.[9]

On 11 November 2009, Andrés Pavón stated that the Honduran military planned to disguise soldiers as a fake armed wing of the National Resistance Front against the coup d'etat in Honduras that would massacre members of the Democratic Civic Union on 29 November 2009, the day of the planned Honduran general election, with the goal of discrediting the National Resistance Front and creating a cycle of lethal violence between pro- and anti-coup civilian groups.[10] Pavón said that military officers "loyal to the Honduran people" had informed him about the plan and stated that the plan is to be carried out by supporters of the de facto government.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Prosecuting Human Rights Crimes in National Courts" (pdf). Center for Justice and Accountability. 2007-12-06. Archived from the original on 2009-11-11. http://www.cja.org/projects/training/honduras_faculty.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
  2. ^ Cohn, Gary; Ginger Thompson (1995-06-11). "When a wave of torture and murder staggered a small U.S. ally, truth was a casualty". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2009-07-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5iZNHFhbk. Retrieved 2009-07-27. 
  3. ^ Equipo Nizkor, LA APARICION DE OSAMENTAS EN UNA ANTIGUA BASE MILITAR DE LA CIA EN HONDURAS REABRE LA PARTICIPACION ARGENTINO-NORTEAMERICANA EN ESE PAIS., Margen (Spanish)
  4. ^ "Honduras: Still waiting for justice". Amnesty International. 1998. Archived from the original on 2009-07-29. http://www.webcitation.org/5idm1CgY1. Retrieved 2009-07-27. 
  5. ^ a b c Merrill (ed.), Tim (1995). "Domestic Human Rights Organizations". Countrystudies.us. http://countrystudies.us/honduras/96.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
  6. ^ a b Rey Flores, Fernando (unknown). "Biografía de Andrés Pavón Murillo". Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras. Archived from the original on 2009-11-11. http://www.codeh.hn/biografia.html. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
  7. ^ "Con un palito de papa, "Mel" se ganó al presidente del Codeh". El Heraldo. Archived from the original on 2009-12-17. http://www.webcitation.org/5m64rfTZM. 
  8. ^ a b "Case N° HOND/02 - MIGUEL ANGEL PAVON SALAZAR - HONDURAS". Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1996-04-20. Archived from the original on 2009-11-11. http://www.ipu.org/hr-e/158/158hond2.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
  9. ^ Holland, Clifton L. (2006-06). "Honduras - Human Rights Workers Denounce Battalion 3-16 Participation in Zelaya Government" (pdf). Mesoamérica Institute for Central American Studies. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03. http://www.mesoamericaonline.net/MES0_ARCHIVES/Countries/Hond/HOJUN06.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-03. 
  10. ^ a b (Spanish)"Militares Planean Masacre: CODEH". Habla Honduras. 2009-11-11. Archived from the original on 2009-11-11. http://hablahonduras.com/2009/11/11/militares-planean-masacre-codeh/. Retrieved 2009-11-12. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Honduras — Honduran, Honduranean, Honduranian /hon deuh ray nee euhn/, adj., n. /hon door euhs, dyoor /; Sp. /awn dooh rddahs/, n. 1. a republic in NE Central America. 5,751,384; 43,277 sq. mi. (112,087 sq. km).Cap.: Tegucigalpa. 2. Gulf of, an arm of the… …   Universalium

  • Human rights in the United States — In 1776, Thomas Jefferson proposed a philosophy of human rights inherent to all people in the Declaration of Independence, asserting that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that… …   Wikipedia

  • Honduras — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::Honduras <p></p> Background: <p></p> Once part of Spain s vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of… …   The World Factbook

  • Human rights in Cuba — Life in Cuba Art Cinema Cuisine Culture Demographics Education Health Holidays Human Rights Literature Music …   Wikipedia

  • Chronology of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis — Contents 1 September 30, 2008 2 November 11, 2008 3 February 2009 3.1 February 17 …   Wikipedia

  • Inter-American Commission on Human Rights — Abbreviation IACHR Formation 1959 Purpose/focus Human Rights monitoring in the Americas Location Washington, D.C., United States …   Wikipedia

  • Politics of Honduras — takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Honduras is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.… …   Wikipedia

  • Criticism of Human Rights Watch — The international non governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has been accused by critics[1] of being influenced by United States government policy,[2] in particular in relation to reporting on Latin America;[3][4] …   Wikipedia

  • CIA transnational human rights actions — This article deals with those activities of the Central Intelligence Agency that preserve or violate human rights. General principlesIn 2003, Assistant Secretary of state for Human Rights Patricia Derian when she wrote, Through these [U.S.… …   Wikipedia

  • Napoleón Nassar Herrera — (also: Nazar) is a Honduran military officer who worked in the controversial Battalion 3 16[1][2] who successively became leader of the General Department of Criminal Investigation (DGIC),[3] high Commissioner of Police for the north west region… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”