Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
Marta Hurtado
28 June 2019
Location: Geneva
Subject: (1) Honduras unrest
(2) DRC attacks
(1) Honduras unrest
Ahead of demonstrations planned
later today in Tegucigalpa and other Honduran cities, the UN Human Rights
Office is calling on the authorities in Honduras to facilitate the exercise of
the rights to freedom of opinion and expression and of peaceful assembly. We also call on the authorities not to employ
the armed forces and military police in law enforcement operations during
demonstrations, as we fear this could heighten tensions and lead to violence.
A number of demonstrations have
been called for today to mark the tenth anniversary of the coup d’état that
deposed President Manuel Zelaya. It is likely that several sectors will use the
occasion to voice unsatisfied political, social and economic claims, and their
opposition to current Government policies, such as planned changes in the
education and the health sector.
We deeply regret the decision taken
last week by the Honduran National Council for Security and Defence to confirm
the existing unofficial practice of using the military and intelligence
services to carry out public order functions.
Today’s demonstrations are taking
place in the context of several weeks of social unrest. Since 27 May, protests
took place in at least 14 departments of Honduras. Several were supressed by
the security forces, using tear gas and live ammunition. Only on 19 June, 14
individuals were injured by live ammunition when security forces disbanded
roadblocks in Tegucigalpa. On 24 June, military forces entered the premises of
the National Autonomous University of Honduras, shooting and injuring five
students.
To date, the UN Human Rights Office
in Honduras is investigating the death of four people, including three adults
and one child. Three of them were shot dead, and the fourth died as a result of
a blade injury. Another 78 people, including journalists and human rights
defenders, have reportedly been injured by the security forces in the context
of the protests.
The participation of military
personnel greatly increases the likelihood of excessive use of force, as was
the case during the post-electoral protests in 2017. Military personnel do not
generally have appropriate training or equipment for law enforcement
activities, and their involvement in public order operations should be
exceptional, and – if truly necessary – should be carried out in strict
compliance with international human rights norms and standards.
In particular, ahead of today’s
demonstrations, we remind the Honduran authorities of the Basic Principles on
the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials* – which include the
principles of necessity, precaution and proportionality, and make it clear that
live ammunition can only be used in very specific circumstances and as a last
resort – as well as of the Code of Conduct for Law enforcement officials.
We note that the Human Rights
Prosecution Unit from the Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation
into the alleged human rights violations and abuses in the context of the
recent protests. We urge that these investigations be carry out in a thorough,
independent, and transparent manner.
(2) DRC attacks
At least 117 people were killed in
Ituri province, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
between 10 and 13 June, according to a preliminary investigation carried out by
the UN Joint Human Rights Office* in the country.
After a series of attacks on
multiple villages in the territories of Djugu and Mahagi were reported to the
UN Joint Human Rights Office, a preliminary fact-finding mission was deployed
to the area on 13 June, and after they had ascertained that several massacres
had indeed taken place, a more robust investigative team was deployed to the
area from 19 to 25 June.
The investigative team confirmed
that at least 94 people had been killed in Djugu territory and 23 in Mahagi
territory, including an as yet undetermined number of women and children. Some
of the victims were beheaded. Homes and warehouses were burned down after being
looted. The ferocity and scorched-earth nature of the attacks suggests the
assailants intended to prevent survivors from being able to return to their
villages.
Most of the victims belonged to the
Hema community, and the rest to the Alur group. The attackers are reported to
be unidentified individuals from the Lendu community.
Over the past six months, there
have been reports of other attacks that have caused dozens of deaths.
The motives of the perpetrators of
these latest attacks are unclear. Originally, they were reported as retaliation
for the earlier deaths of four Lendu people. However, the team’s analysis of
the context suggests this explanation was a pretext. The information gathered
so far seems to indicate that despite the attackers reportedly belong to one
community, and the victims to others, there appear to be additional political
and economic motives underlying the assaults. The Hema and Lendu have a history
of extreme inter-communal violence in the Ituri region.
We call on the authorities to carry
out a prompt, thorough, impartial, independent and transparent investigation
and to bring the perpetrators and the instigators of these crimes to justice.
Efficient action by law enforcement and judicial authorities -- applying
international norms and standards -- could reduce the risk of retaliation from
the affected communities and break the cycle of violence.
We also urge the Government to
investigate the inability of the Armed Forces to prevent or stop the massacres
and to take the necessary measures to protect the population in the area. This
includes ensuring that the Lendu community is not collectively punished for the
actions of certain individuals or groups.
All actions by the defence and security forces in response to the
attacks must comply with international human rights norms and standards.
The repeated attacks have provoked
an exodus towards different towns, as well as to IDP camps that are now hosting
some 78,000 people.
* The UN Joint Human Rights Office,
established in February 2008, is the Human Rights Division of the UN
Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and of the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights in the DRC.
END
For more information and media
requests, please contact: Rupert Colville - + 41 22 917 9767 /
rcolville@ohchr.org or Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / mhurtado@ohchr.org
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