Honduras

charged with, among other things, “possession and manufacturing of small arms, criminal conspiracy, and statements inciting violence”.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL TREATMENT

Ibrahima Sow, aged 62, was arrested on 24 October after the attack on a Rusal train (see above, Unlawful killings). According to the authorities, while under arrest, he tested positive for COVID-19 from which he recovered but after “complaining of diabetes” he was taken to hospital where he died. Photographs of his injuries sustained during his detention strongly suggested that he had suffered burns from a hot iron rod or similar object.

FREEDOMS OF ASSEMBLY AND EXPRESSION

National and local authorities undermined the right to freedom of assembly, banning –without giving legitimate reasons – at least seven demonstrations against the constitutional referendum and the President’s candidacy for a third term of office. Protests planned for January in the cities of Kissidougou and Nzérékoré were banned to “keep the peace”; in March, demonstrations in Matoto and Matam were prevented because of a forthcoming ECOWAS visit and preparations for International Women’s Day. Demonstrations in Matoto during the electoral campaign between September and October were also outlawed.

The right to freedom of expression was also restricted. According to the NGO Access Now, social media transmission was disrupted for a total of 36 hours between 21 and 23 March. On 18 October, the High Authority for Communication suspended the news site Guineematin.com for one month after it broadcast live from polling stations during ballot counts.

IMPUNITY

Despite pledges from the authorities that the killing of any protester would be investigated, there was no official information by the end of the year about developments.

The Justice Minister ’s 2019 pledge that, following the completion of a judicial investigation in 2017, the trial of alleged perpetrators in the September 2009 massacre in the Conakry Stadium would start by June 2020, remained unrealized. Defence and security forces had killed 157 peaceful demonstrators in the stadium and raped at least 100 women.

RIGHT TO HEALTH

Prison conditions

The health of prisoners was particularly at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic due to chronic overcrowding, and inadequate sanitation and medical care in detention facilities.

The authorities reported that in May, out of 713 prisoners tested at Conakry Central Prison, 68 had positive results for COVID-19. The Ministry of Justice said they were treated in health facilities deployed in the prison. In Kindia Prison there were 30 positive test results among the total population of 352 inmates and 25 prison guards, and the Ministry of Justice reported that the 28 inmates who tested positive were sent to Conakry Central Prison to receive treatment. Conakry Central Prison was the most overcrowded facility in the country, holding 1,500 detainees, but with a capacity for only 300.

HONDURAS

Republic of Honduras Head of state and government: Juan Orlando Hernández

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the security forces used excessive force to implement lockdowns and to police protests. Health workers highlighted the health risks posed by the lack of personal protection equipment (PPE) in hospitals. Honduras remained one of the most lethal countries for human rights defenders.

BACKGROUND

Levels of violence and impunity remained high, as well as poverty and inequality. In November, devastating landslides and floods caused by hurricanes Eta and Lota resulted in at least 94 deaths and affected almost 4 million people, raising serious concerns about the rights to food, water and livelihood of already marginalized groups.

EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE

The police and the military used excessive force to implement national and local curfews and lockdowns introduced in response to the pandemic and to suppress protests sparked by the lack of state food aid and unemployment. Civil society organizations documented injuries and arbitrary detentions (including of journalists covering protests), and at least one possible extrajudicial execution.

RIGHT TO HEALTH

Health workers

The pandemic worsened the already precarious working conditions of health workers, amid allegations of corruption and complaints about the inadequate management of emergency funds for the purchase of medicines and materials. Health workers repeatedly highlighted the lack of PPE.

In several hospitals, health workers were asked to sign confidentiality agreements prohibiting them from speaking publicly about their concerns.

RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

In January and October, thousands of Hondurans joined the so-called caravans to leave the country and flee violence and poverty. The vast majority were returned or deported to Honduras from Mexico, the USA and Guatemala, often without their rights being guaranteed.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Human rights defenders, particularly those defending the territory, environment and access to land, continued to face high levels of violence. Most of these attacks remained unpunished.

By the end of the year, the trial of a businessman detained in 2018 and accused of being behind the killing of Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres had not started. The National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) repeatedly highlighted delays and irregularities in proceedings. There was no progress in the investigation into others believed to be responsible for planning and ordering her killing.

Five men from the Garifuna Triunfo de la Cruz community, including four Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) activists, were allegedly forcibly disappeared on 18 July by unidentified individuals wearing police-type clothing. The men’s fate and whereabouts remained unknown at the end of the year.

Human rights defenders also continued to face unfounded judicial proceedings to intimidate and harass them and to hinder their human rights work. Among those targeted were members of the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Assets (CMDBCP).

In June, a new Penal Code entered into force that contains provisions that are sometimes ambiguous or contrary to the principle of legality and could be arbitrarily interpreted to restrict the exercise of freedom of assembly and association and to reinforce the criminalization of human rights defenders.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Women and girls faced high levels of genderbased violence. The National University of Honduras’ observatory on violence reported 224 femicides between January and December. According to the NGO Women's Peace Movement "Visitación Padilla", more than 65,000 calls about domestic and intrafamily violence were registered through the National Emergency System 911 between January and October.