Holiday Card Action 2007

HONDURAS – Dina Meza and Carlos Hernández

© AI

Human rights defenders in Honduras are frequently attacked, threatened and intimidated because of their legitimate activities. Government failure to provide adequate protection can have devastating consequences, not only for the individuals involved but also for the human rights situation in general.

Dina Meza and Carlos Hernández work for the Association for a More Just Society (Asociación para una Sociedad Más Justa, ASJ), an organization that focuses on improving access to justice for all sectors of Honduran society. Members of ASJ reportedly started to receive threats after they began working on alleged labor rights violations committed by private security companies. The ASJ reported the threats and harassment to the authorities, but officials took no apparent action to protect ASJ members. In December 2006 Dionisio Díaz García, an ASJ lawyer, was killed. Three days after the killing, Carlos Hernández, ASJ President, received a text message in English which read: "You are the next because you are the head."

Following the killing, threats against ASJ members intensified. Journalist Dina Meza, project director of ASJ's online magazine, reportedly received threatening voice messages on her mobile phone. Other ASJ members have received threatening text messages and posts in the comments section of the online magazine. Those responsible for killing Dionisio Díaz have still not been brought to justice, and the authorities have failed to conduct adequate investigations into the threats against ASJ members.

Please send cards of support to:
Dina Meza and Carlos Hernández
Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ)
Apartado Postal 30676, Toncontín
Comayagüela
HONDURAS