Honduras: Jailed Environmental Activists Released (Guapinol Water Protectors)
Six of the eight Honduran environmentalists, who were in prison, were released by a ruling from the court of Trujillo.
On February 24, the Court of Trujillo in the Colón Department of Honduras ruled in favor of six of the eight Honduran environmentalists prosecuted for the Guapinol case. They have now been released from prison.
The court resolution came two weeks after the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) ordered the release of the Guapinol defenders by granting two injunction appeals in their favor.
Guapinol water protectors José Daniel Márquez, José Abelino Cedillo, Ewer Cedillo, Kevin Romero, Orbin Nahúm Hernández and Porfirio Soto were released from the Olanchito penitentiary in Yoro municipality.
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#TribunalSentencia de la ciudad de #Trujillo en el departamento de #Colón emite resolución en Caso conocido como Defensores del Río Guapinol y San Pedro. pic.twitter.com/Ty4GIxBhrp
— Poder Judicial HN (@PJdeHonduras) February 25, 2022
In February, another court in Honduras had convicted six of the eight environmental defenders accused of property damage, aggravated damages, and unjust deprivation of liberty against the Los Pinares Mining Company.
The activists had been behind bars for more than two years after they had been denounced by Los Pinares company in 2019, following protests against the Guapinol mining project in Colón community.
Libres!!! Los seis defensores del ambiente de Guapinol. Estuvieron 40 meses privados de libertad y aunque habìa un fallo a favor, la juez de sentencia, obstaculizaba el proceso para que los luchadores volvieran con sus familias. Fueron acusados de asociaciación ilícita pic.twitter.com/TMeyeCvS6V
— Gilda Silvestrucci (@Gildasilves) February 25, 2022
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The Honduras Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights welcomed the court order for the release of the six environmentalists who had been “arbitrarily deprived of their liberty.”
The UN High Commissioner also considered that the Honduran State must address comprehensive reparation of damages caused by the detention of the activists and likewise investigate the causes behind their detention, in accordance with the provisions of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Featured image: Six jailed Guapinol Water Protectors of Honduras have been freed. Photo: Twitter/@radiohrn
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/GMS/SC/EF
