On December 7, the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project tweeted: “PBI accompanies @Cofadeh to visit Henry Bonilla, a student accused of participating in the burning of tires in front of the United States embassy in the protests on #health and #education. Henry is deprived of liberty in the Támara penitentiary.”

On August 6, 2021, Defensores en linea reported: “With the legal representation of the Committee of Relatives of Disappeared Detainees in Honduras (COFADEH), this morning the Initial Hearing takes place against young Henry Bonilla (25), accused of the alleged crime of burning tires in front of the US diplomatic headquarters in Tegucigalpa.”

“Henry is supposed to be responsible for the crime of aggravated arson to the detriment of the American Embassy, which occurred on May 31, 2019, during protests for the defense of Health and Education [that demanded] better conditions in the public hospital and educational system.”

“The social protests were repressed by the National Police, Armed Forces, Military Police of Public Order and other repressive groups of the State.”

That article adds: “COFADEH registers at least 190 political prisoners, although most defend their freedom, they continue to await Oral and Public trials. Many of the victims report acts of intimidation, persecution and surveillance against them.”

In June of this year, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders noted: “The Observatory emphasizes that in recent years the student movement has been strongly repressed by the university and government authorities, which have resorted to the use of police force and elite bodies of the State security forces to repress demonstrations, as well as the filing of criminal proceedings against the members of the movement with the aim of dismantling and delegitimizing the movement and its activities in defense of the right to education and the peaceful exercise of protest.”

That same month, PBI-Honduras observed the trial of student Hery Yovani Flores Quiroz who was arrested for participating in a march against the ZEDES special economic zones and charged with aggravated arson that would have occurred on October 24, 2019, in Tegucigalpa during a right to health and education protest.

PBI-USA follows this situation.

And on Facebook:

Tiempo has also reported on the arrest of Henry Bonilla at Dictan detención a «coautor» de incendio en Embajada de EEUU.

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    Honduras