Front Line Defenders and Peace Brigades International have issued this Joint Statement noting “the repeated lack of protection for defenders of the rights of the LGBTI+ community before a new increase in aggressions.”
Key excerpts from the Joint Statement include:
“The organizations Front Line Defenders and Peace Brigades International (PBI) are deeply concerned about the continued increase in violence in form of attacks, assassination attempts and acts of discrimination against persons women rights defenders of the LGBTI+ community in Honduras.
In a particular way, there is concern that the escalation of aggressions will intensify in the coming weeks, in the framework of the LGBTI+ Pride Day celebration on June 28, 2022.
During the first months of 2022, civil society organizations defending human rights have reported serious aggressions that denote a climate of strong tension and violence against those who defend the rights of the LGTBI+ community.
Between January and June, at least 19 violent deaths of people from the sexual diversity, according to data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. It represents a considerable increase compared to the 28 registered by the Cattrachas organization throughout 2021.
Added to this are dozens of attacks, threats and discriminatory attitudes that make it difficult to exercise full rights to people of sexual diversity.”
The statement then notes the murder of Thalía Rodríguez of Red Lésbica Cattrachas (on January 10), the attack on Roger Silva of SOMOS CDC (on March 15), the attempted transfemicide against Rixy Garcia of the Collective of Trans Dolls Women (on May 14), threatening calls to Lucía Barrientos of the Committee for Sexual Diversity and Group of Lesbian Women, Bisexuals and Trans IXCHEL (on May 16), the murder of Brayan Josué Lopez Guzmán of the Sampedrana Gay Community for Health organization and Colectivo Unidad Color Rosa (on June 5), and the assault against Ameliana Zerón of SOMOS CDC (on June 8).
The statement concludes: “Peace Brigades International and Front Line Defenders recommend to the international community to publicly show recognition of the work of the organizations of sexual diversity thus counteracting discriminatory narratives promoted by other actors [and] call on solidarity and national and international support for the protection of people defenders of the rights of the LGBTI+ community in the framework of Pride Day.”
The full statement can be read in Spanish here.
PBI-Honduras tweet: “#Alert @PBIHonduras and @FLDAmericas have identified repeated lack of protection for #LGTBI #humanrights community defenders. We are concerned that the increase in attacks will intensify in the coming weeks due to the commemoration of #PrideDay.”
