UN Committee against Torture to review Honduras

GENEVA (21 July 2016) - The UN Committee against Torture is due to review Honduras on 27 and 28 July in Geneva. Honduras has ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and so is required to be reviewed regularly by the Committee.

Among the possible issues for discussion between CAT members and a delegation from the Honduran government are:

• Allegations of police brutality and ill-treatment of detainees;
• Investigation of allegations of serious human rights violations, including deaths resulting from excessive use of force by police and army, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance during suppression of protests held to demand the restoration of constitutional order following events of 28 June 2009;
• Prison overcrowding; widespread use of preventive detention for minors accused of serious offences such as membership of youth gangs or maras;
• Findings of the investigation into Comayagua prison fire on 15 February 2012 that left more than 350 people dead;
• Shortage of resources in the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Human Rights of the Public Prosecution Service and shortcomings in the witness protection programme;
• Measures to prevent attacks on journalists, human rights defenders and political activists and to protect their lives.
• Measures to ensure full independence of the judiciary;
• Steps to prevent and combat violence against women, including domestic and sexual violence.

The review will take place at Palais Wilson in Geneva from 10:00 to 13:00 (02:00 to 05.00 in Tegucigalpa) on 27 July and from 15:00 - 18:00 (07:00 – 10:00) on 28 July and be webcast live at http://webtv.un.org/ The Committee will also hear from NGO representatives and the National Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

More information, including Honduras’ submitted written report, at: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1084&Lang=en

The Committee has scheduled a press conference for Friday 12 August at 12.30 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to discuss its findings on Honduras and the other States being reviewed – Kuwait, Burundi and Mongolia. These findings, officially known as concluding observations, will be published here on 12 August: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1084&Lang=en
                                                                                                                   
ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Liz Throssell +41 (0) 22 917 9466/ +41 79 752 0488 ethrossell@ohchr.org)

Media accreditation:    http://unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpPages)/70991F6887C73B2280256EE700379C58?OpenDocument

Background

Members of the CAT are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties. The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with their human rights obligations under the treaty. More information:  http://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/cat/pages/catindex.aspx

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