Washington. D.C. May 6, 2010<\/p>\n
The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) strongly condemned action by the Honduran Supreme Court to fire four judges and one public defender for having criticized last June\u2019s coup and the Supreme Court\u2019s support for it.<\/p>\n
The action by ten of the fifteen magistrates of the high court in Honduras punishes the court personnel for exercising their guaranteed rights to freedom of expression and association, CEJIL stated.\u00a0 Moreover, it sends an intimidating message to any other judicial employee who challenges the authorities who supported the coup.\u00a0 The court\u2019s decision seriously weakens the independence of the judiciary in Honduras.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dismissal of the court personnel demonstrates yet again the tremendous contradictions within the Honduran government, which on the one hand announces the creation of a controversial truth commission while simultaneously firing judicial employees for exercising their rights and acting with independence,\u201d said Alejandra Nuno, CEJIL director for Central America and Mexico.\u00a0 \u201cIt makes clear that in Honduras, instead of room for a free exchange of ideas, there is only intolerance and repression of those who think differently from the authorities,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Those dismissed are judges Ad\u00e1n Guillermo L\u00f3pez Lone, Luis Alonso Ch\u00e9vez de la Rocha, and Ram\u00f3n Enrique Barrios, appeals court judge Tirza Flores, and public defender Osman Fajardo Morel.<\/p>\n
L\u00f3pez, Ch\u00e9vez, and Fajardo are accused of having participated in demonstrations against the coup.\u00a0 Barrios was dismissed for publishing a newspaper article in which he used legal arguments to challenge the Supreme Court\u2019s position that the ouster of elected President Manuel Zelaya was constitutional.\u00a0 Judge Flores was dismissed for having presented an appeal on behalf of Zelaya and other officials who were overthrown.<\/p>\n
All four officials are members of the Association of Judges for Democracy, of which L\u00f3pez is president.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis marks a reversal in the process of building judicial independence,\u201d said Magistrate Flores.\u00a0 \u201cThe Court is sending the message that judges had better not be critical, but instead submissive and obedient, and that honest, responsible, and independent judges only get in the way,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
CEJIL will push for the restitution of the dismissed court personnel at all available judicial, political, and diplomatic levels, to avoid the consolidation of a new blow to democracy and the independence of the judiciary in Honduras.<\/p>\n
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For more information, please contact:<\/p>\n
Mauricio Herrera Ulloa<\/p>\n
Communications Director<\/p>\n
Tel:\u00a0 (202)-319-3000<\/p>\n