Center for Women’s Studies-Honduras (CEM-H)

Activity
Human rights of women

Attacks experienced
Harassment, Criminalization

FACTS – On February 28th, the Center for Women’s Studies-Honduras received a citation stemming from a lawsuit filed on December 16th by Desarrollos Energéticos, S.A (DESA), against Suyapa Martínez, Coordinator of the Center for Women’s Studies-Honduras, for having released “inexact and prejudicial information” about the company associated with the murder of Berta Cáceres. DESA claims a million lempiras in damages, and the court has subpoenaed the defender to a hearing on March 21st.

The criminalization of the Center for Women’s Studies-Honduras is taking place a year after the crime against Berta Cáceres was committed and the subsequent finding by the Technical Criminal Investigation Agency that several of those implicated are employees or ex employees of DESA and active members of the Armed Forces.

It also coincides with the heavy smear campaigns against national and international women human rights defenders, both individuals and organizations such as Global Witness, and with the adoption of penal reforms aimed at criminalizing freedom of expression in Honduras.

We, of IM-Defensoras demand an immediate end to the criminalization of the Center for Women’s Studies-Honduras and the implementation of security guarantees for all of its members.