Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

76. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will voice concerns at EU and international level to request the government of Honduras to release all political prisoners and to demonstrate a commitment to ensure the safety and human rights of those detained for exercising their right to peaceful protest. [28007/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am aware of the difficult situation which human rights defenders continue to face in Honduras. The loss of life and violence which has occurred since elections took place in Honduras in November 2017 is particularly worrying. Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are the cornerstones of any functioning democracy and those rights must be guaranteed. While Ireland does not have diplomatic representation in Honduras, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade do raise issues relating to human rights in Honduras both at EU and UN level.Officials also engage with the European External Action Service through its EU delegation in Tegucigalpa and meet regularly with human rights defenders and civil society organisations active in Honduras.

Most recently, officials met in April with representatives of Trócaire, the Latin America Solidarity Committee and a Honduran NGO, the Broad Movement for Dignity and Justice,to hear first-hand accounts of the challenges which are being faced on a daily basis by those working directly on these issues .

These different interactions play an important part in shaping our insight into the challenging conditions faced by human rights defenders on the ground in Honduras and inform our interventions on the matter at international level.

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

I can assure the Deputy that, in keeping with Ireland’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, we will continue to closely monitor developments in Honduras in the period ahead and will stay in touch with our various contacts.

I can also assure the Deputy that we will continue to raise concerns regarding threats to the work of human rights defenders in discussions on Honduras at both EU and international level, as necessary.