October, 19 2016, 02:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
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Activists' Murders Turn Honduras into 'No-Go Zone' for Environmental Campaigners
The brutal murders of two land rights activists in Honduras last night are the latest tragedies in a seemingly unstoppable wave of deadly attacks turning Honduras into a no-go zone for human rights defenders, said Amnesty International.
Jose Angel Flores, 64, President of the Movimiento Unificado Campesino, was shot dead by a group of unidentified men in the department of Colon, northern Honduras, in the afternoon of 18 October.
Another community leader, Silmer Dionisio George, was also shot in the incident and died at a local hospital hours later.
The brutal murders of two land rights activists in Honduras last night are the latest tragedies in a seemingly unstoppable wave of deadly attacks turning Honduras into a no-go zone for human rights defenders, said Amnesty International.
Jose Angel Flores, 64, President of the Movimiento Unificado Campesino, was shot dead by a group of unidentified men in the department of Colon, northern Honduras, in the afternoon of 18 October.
Another community leader, Silmer Dionisio George, was also shot in the incident and died at a local hospital hours later.
"Honduras has turned into a 'no-go zone' for anyone daring to campaign for the protection of the environment. How many more activists have to be brutally murdered before the authorities take effective action to protect them, or even be willing to talk about this crisis?" said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
Jose Angel Flores had reported threats in relation to his human rights work. In 2014, he had been granted precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights requesting the state to provide him with protection.
Jose Angel and Silmer's murders came amid a wave of threats against their community and are the latest in a series of killings of human rights defenders, including that of indigenous leader Berta Caceres, who was shot dead in March this year.
The lack of exhaustive investigations into the attacks and threats against activists, as well as the unwillingness of the authorities to implement effective mechanisms to protect them, are fuelling the increasing violence.
"Authorities in Honduras must take immediate action to effectively protect those who work to promote and defend the basic human rights of all in the country. Anything less will only put more brave human rights defenders in mortal danger," said Erika Guevara-Rosas.
Last week, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez declined a meeting with Amnesty International's Secretary General Salil Shetty to discuss the human rights crisis in the country, including the increasing wave of attacks against human rights activists.
- Honduras/Guatemala: Attacks on the rise in world's deadliest countries for environmental activists (News/Report, 1 September 2016)
- Sole witness to Berta Caceres murder: "It was clear she was going to get killed" (Feature, 6 May 2016)
- Berta Caceres: 'Defending human rights in Honduras is a crime' (News, 22 November 2013)
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Our supporters are outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world - so we work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.
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