On October 13, PBI-Honduras posted: “Given the impossibility of accessing the room, PBI accompanied the sit-in for the oral and public trial against land defenders Víctor Vásquez and José S. Vigil. They are accused of forced displacement, included in the Penal Code to combat maras and gangs”
Bufete Justicia para los Pueblos (Justice for the Peoples Law Firm) has also tweeted: “Faced with the continuous illegal detention of the Lenca defenders Víctor Vásquez and José Santos Vigil, Habeas Corpus is presented against the violation of their right to liberty and demanding their immediate release.”
On May 26, PBI-Honduras tweeted: “PBI accompanied CEHPRODEC and Bufete Justicia para los Pueblos in the filing of Amparo appeal for the closure of the criminal proceedings against Víctor Vásquez and José S. Vigil for the crime of forced displacement.”
The day before, lawyer Edy Tabor tweeted: “Let us demand that the Constitutional Chamber order the closure of the criminal proceedings against Víctor V. and José V. since in a racist judicial act the Court of Appeals of Comayagua did not want to resolve the appeal presented by the defense and only resolved the one presented by the MP [Public Ministry].”
Víctor Vásquez
Front Line Defenders has explained: “Víctor Vásquez is a member of the Consejo Indígena de Simpinula (Indigenous Council of Simpinula) in Santa María, La Paz.”
“He is also the local leader of the Movimiento Indígena Independiente Lenca de La Paz (Lenca Indigenous Movement of La Paz, Honduras – MILPAH), which advocates for the rights of Lenca indigenous peoples to self-determination and to their ancestral lands.”
That post adds: “The human rights defender has been repeatedly threatened for supporting local small farmers’ groups in La Paz in activities to recover land they consider has been illegally privatized by local authorities.”
He has been detained at the La Paz Penal Centre since December 11, 2020, after being arbitrarily detained by Honduran police.
PBI-Honduras has highlighted: “The Simpinula community says community leader Victor Vazquez ‘has planted a fertile seed’ with more than six months in pre-trial detention for defending ancestral lands and defending human rights.”
We continue to follow this case.
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