Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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245. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the extremely tense and difficult environment for human rights defenders in Honduras currently; if his attention has been further drawn to the concern that an organisation (details supplied) has regarding the events that took place during a peaceful demonstration on 20 October 2016 in Tegucigalpa; and if he will contact his Honduran counterpart to express his concern regarding this incident. [33447/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the difficult situation which currently pertains for human rights defenders in Honduras. I condemn unreservedly any use of force against peaceful protestors. Ireland does not have diplomatic representation in Honduras, but my officials have raised the incident referred to by the Deputy with the European External Action Service and requested an update from the EU Delegation in Tegucigalpa. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Officials from my Department are in regular contact with the organisation mentioned by the Deputy, as well as other organisations active in the Central American region, in order to listen to their concerns regarding the context they face on the ground. We value and appreciate that engagement.

On 3 March 2016, Ms. Berta Cáceres, a leading human rights defender and environmentalist, was killed in Honduras. Her colleague, Mr. Nelson García, was killed just days afterwards. Ireland raised those cases and the difficulties facing human rights defenders in Honduras in public statements at the UN Human Rights Council and at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Senior officials also discussed the situation faced by human rights defenders in Central America with the Executive Director of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights during his visit to Dublin earlier this year.

My officials raised further instances of threats against human rights defenders at a discussion on Honduras at the EU Working Group on Latin America and the Caribbean in May 2016.

Honduras was last reviewed under the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review mechanism in May 2015. Ireland intervened to express its concern at the climate of violence and insecurity in which human rights defenders operate in Honduras, and recommended that adequate financial and human resources were allocated to ensure the implementation of legislation protecting human rights defenders and journalists.

In keeping with Ireland’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, we will continue to raise our concerns regarding threats against human rights defenders in discussions on Honduras at EU and international level.