Case History: José Guadalupe Ruelas García
On 8 May 2014, at 11pm, human rights defender Mr José Guadalupe Ruelas García was severely beaten in front of the Presidential Palace by members of the military police before being detained. He was detained on the grounds of driving dangerously and under the influence of alcohol. The alcohol tests, however, confirm his sobriety. On 16 May 2014, at a meeting for reconciliation between the police and human rights defender Mr José Guadalupe Ruelas García, the human rights defender agreed to pay the costs of repairs to a police vehicle and medical treatment in return for an agreement that the case be dropped. The Prosecutor of Tegucigalpa had found on 9 May 2014 that there was a lack of evidence demonstrating José Guadalupe Ruelas García's responsibility for the collision.
José Guadalupe Ruelas García is the Director of Casa Alianza – Honduras (Housing Alliance – Honduras), working on the rights of children and young people in Honduras. The human rights organisation offers crisis care, attention for victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and assistance for children struggling with drug addictions. The organisation has published research on the impact of government policies upon children.
On 16 May 2014, at a meeting for reconciliation between the police and human rights defender Mr José Guadalupe Ruelas García, the human rights defender agreed to pay the costs of repairs to a police vehicle and medical treatment in return for an agreement that the case be dropped. The Prosecutor of Tegucigalpa had found on 9 May 2014 that there was a lack of evidence demonstrating José Guadalupe Ruelas García's responsibility for the collision.
José Guadalupe Ruelas García is the Director of Casa Alianza – Honduras (Housing Alliance – Honduras), working on the rights of children and young people in Honduras. The human rights defender agreed, as part of a settlement, to pay 16,000 Honduran Lempiras (€567). His vehicle, which is owned by Casa Alianza – Honduras, is too badly damaged to be used. On 9 May 2014, a Prosecutor ordered José Guadalupe Ruelas García's release from arbitrary detention due to a lack of evidence, including a lack of alcohol test results (despite six tests having been performed while the human rights defender was in detention), video evidence (despite there having been cameras in operation in the area), or proof of the extent of the damage to the police vehicle.
The night before, José Guadalupe Ruelas García had been beaten and arbitrarily detained after his vehicle was stopped by members of the military police and a motorbike collided with the side of his stationary car. The human rights defender was detained throughout the night and required two days of hospital treatment upon his release in order to recover from injuries sustained in the beating.
Over the last seven months, José Guadalupe Ruelas García has experienced two attempted break-ins at his home and his teen-aged daughter has been subjected to surveillance in the house. There is also evidence that the human rights defender and his family's communications and movements are being monitored. The most recent incidents come two days after a statement by the human rights defender in the media criticising the policies of the government towards children. More information on José Guadalupe Ruelas García's case can be found in the urgent appeal issued by Front Line Defenders on 13 May 2014.
On 8 May 2014, at 11pm, human rights defender Mr José Guadalupe Ruelas García was severely beaten in front of the Presidential Palace by members of the military police before being detained. He was detained on the grounds of driving dangerously and under the influence of alcohol. The alcohol tests, however, confirm his sobriety. He now faces charges of causing harm and injury.
The human rights defender was driving in front of the Presidential Palace after a meeting with officials of Plan International, when police signalled him to stop. A few minutes later, a motorbike collided with the human rights defenders car, while it was still stationary. The military police forced José Guadalupe Ruelas García out of the car and began to hit and kick him. They insulted him and confiscated his wallet, car and other belongings in the car. They reportedly took 200 USD before dragging the human rights defender to the entrance of the Presidential Palace.
At 12am, the human rights defender was brought to the first entry of the Kennedy colony. The officials performed six alcohol breath-tests. Despite his requests, José Guadalupe Ruelas García did not receive medical attention. The human rights defender's wife and son, two journalists and a representative of the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH) were present at the station. At approximately 3:30am, the police brought the human rights defender to the old Core 7 office, where the Prosecutor ordered that José Guadalupe Ruelas García receive medical treatment. At 4:30am, he was treated by a doctor in Viera Hospital who performed another alcohol level test that reportedly confirmed that the human rights defender was not over the legal limit. At 10am, the police brought him to Core 7 before releasing him. José Guadalupe Ruelas García spent the next two days in hospital. The human rights defender is in recovery, but fearful of the impact of the claims on his reputation as a human rights defender. José Guadalupe Ruelas García has been charged with causing harm and injury and a hearing will be heard on 16 May 2014.
The incidents come two days after a statement by the human rights defender in the media criticising the policies of the government towards children. A report published by Casa Alianza - Honduras last month concluded that, since January 2014, 259 children were murdered in the country, the majority with firearms, but some were also killed by blanks, asphyxiation, burnings and other undetermined means. José Guadalupe Ruelas García stated that there exists a systematic campaign of child killings, adding that “violent deaths of girls, boys and young people have increased in this country, and with greater brutality due to the bad policies implemented to fight the problem, because instead of cameras, gates or military battalions, conditions of cohabitation must be created.”
Front Line Defenders is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity and security of José Guadalupe Ruelas García, and expresses its concern regarding the beating, detention and delay in providing medical attention. Front Line defenders is concerned that the attack and detention may be related to the peaceful and legitimate human rights work of the human rights defender and Casa Alianza-Honduras on children's rights.
