27 de March de 2012 Press Release

Judges dismissed after Honduran coup d’état publicly request Inter-American Commission to issue final case report

 

Washington, D. C., March 26, 2012- The four judges who were dismissed for expressing themselves and acting against the 2009 coup d’état,  requested today that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)  issue its final case report. The request was made by the Association of Judges for Democracy in Honduras (AJD) and the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) during a public hearing at the Commission’s 144º Sessions.

 

The judges Adan Guillermo Lopez Lone, Luis Chevez de la Rocha, Ramon Barrios and magistrate Tirza Flores Lanza denounced that the State has still not recognized or repaired the human rights violations that they suffered as a consequence of their arbitrary dismissal.

 

On May 5, 2010, the judges were dismissed by the Supreme Court of Justice for expressing themselves against the coup’ d’ état and, in the case of Judge Flores, for filing an extraordinary  petition against the expatriation of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales.

 

The AJD and CEJIL reaffirmed their complaint for the violation of the right to judicial guarantees, freedom of expression, freedom of association, political rights and the right to judicial protection. In the case of Judge Chevez de la Rocha, the State is responsible for the violation of his right to personal freedom.  The State is also responsible for the violation of Judge Lopez Lone’s right to freedom of association.

 

During its intervention, the State provided no new information on the case and continued to deny that there had been a coup. Furthermore, it continued to maintain that the dismissal of the judges was due to their involvement in “political party” related activities.

 

In response to the State, Judge Lopez Lone denied that their actions were politically motivated. He emphasized that their actions were in support of democracy and the restoration of the constitutional order.

 

The Guillermo Lopez Lone at al Vs. Honduras case (“Dismissed judges”) is the first case about human rights violations related to the Honduran Coup d’état to be admitted by the Inter-American Commission. Given the multiple violations committed during and after the constitutional breakdown, the petitioner organizations stated that the recommendations to be issued by the IACHR can contribute to promoting structural reform to secure judicial independence in Honduras, as well as to furthering justice in other cases.

 

 

 

 

Contacto en Washington Milli Legrain +1-202- 319 3000, ext. 15 (fijo) [email protected]

Contacto en Costa Rica: Darío Chinchilla +506 – 2281-3280 [email protected]