Case History: Sandra Zambrano
In July 2015, Sandra Zambrano made an application to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights in which she requested a broadening of protection measures granted to the organisation in 2013. Sandra Zambrano has declared the Honduran state responsible for any injury or attack which may befall her, her colleagues or her family.
Sandra Zambrano is a human rights lawyer with the Asociación para una Vida Mejor de Personas Infectadas y Afectadas por el VIH/SIDA en Honduras – APUVIMEH (Association for a Better Life for People Infected with and Affected by HIV/AIDS in Honduras). APUVIMEH works with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community and those affected by HIV / AIDS in Honduras. It also operates a shelter for people with HIV / AIDS and those of the LGBTI community, "Casa Renacer", and runs several projects including a program for prevention of HIV / AIDS and sexual infections, and a gay youth project.
On 18 September 2015, poet and LGBTI rights defender Ms Gloria Carolina Hernández Vásquez, also known as Génesis Hernández, was kidnapped and brought to the outskirts of Tegucigalpa where she was killed.
Witnesses say she was subjected to homophobic slurs before her killing. This follows the killing of LGBTI rights defender Mr Jorge Alberto Castillo on 6 September 2015, as well as those of LGBTI rights defenders Angy Ferreira, Juan Carlos Cruz Andara and Violeta Rivas during the summer months of 2015.
Génesis Hernández and Jorge Alberto Castillo both collaborated with the Asociación por una Vida Mejor - APUVIMEH (Association for a Better Life). APUVIMEH works with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community and those affected by HIV/AIDS in Honduras. It also operates Casa Renacer shelter for people with HIV/AIDS and those of the LGBTI community, and runs several projects including a programme for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexual infections, and a youth project. Jorge Alberto Castillo was a founding member of the Casa Renacer. The human rights defender was one of the first people to begin claiming LGBTI rights in Honduras. Génesis Hernández was a poet of protest who had dealt with the sexual rights of women, including lesbians and bisexual women, in her poetry as a way of giving visibility to these issues. She had also taken part in many marches for LGBTI rights and recently had to flee the city owing to threats against her.
On 18 September 2015, at approximately midday, Génesis Hernández was kidnapped by unknown men in two vans, one grey and one green, from just outside her home in Tegucigalpa. The human rights defender was brought to the Comayagüela area of Tegucigalpa where she was forced out of the vehicle with her hands tied. She was then forced to stand against a wall and, according to witnesses, was verbally abused regarding her sexual orientation and subsequently shot twice in the head.
On 6 September 2015, Jorge Alberto Castillo was stoned to death near his home in El Manchén, Tegucigalpa. His colleagues consider his killing to amount to a hate crime, owing to its brutal nature. However, to date, there has been no progress in the investigation of his killing.
These killings follow a pattern of intimidation against members of APUVIMEH. On 31 July 2015, as the director of APUVIMEH Ms Sandra Zambrano and other staff and volunteers of the organisation Messrs Cristian Daniel Cortes Sagastume, Silvio Gerardo Artola and Carlos Alberto Cardona Varela were leaving the Chinese market, a police car (no. M-103) drove past and, without offering any justification, ordered them to get into the car. The human rights defenders were brought to the police station in the Alemán area of Comayagüela, where mug-shot style photographs were taken of them with the mobile phone of one of the police officers. When a police officer at the station asked why the group had been brought in, he was told to write down that they were drunk in public (poneles que andaban de vagos o que andan bolos), despite the fact that none of the group had been drinking. The group were then brought to the station in Belén, Comayagüela where they were held for a full day on 1 August 2015. They were not permitted to make a phone call, or given access to food or water, nor were they read their rights or informed of the reasons for their detention. They were finally released at 6:30pm on 1 August 2015 when Cristian Daniel Cortes Sagastume's mother paid 300 HNL (approximately 13 euro) to the authorities.
These events were reported informally to the Secretariat of Security and the National Commission for Human Rights on 3 August 2015, however a formal complaint was not submitted. On 8 August 2015, APUVIMEH received a note explaining that there would be an immediate investigation by the police, who would visit the house of the complainant in the case. However, the police officers who visited Sandra Zambrano's house were those who had detained them. The police officers parked outside the house with the sirens on before interrogating the human rights defenders, including asking them why they were planning to report the detention.
On 3 March 2015, a volunteer at APUVIMEH, Mr Efraín Salomón Silva, was attacked by unidentified men in Lepaterique who verbally abused and used discriminatory language against him. The human rights defender reported the attack, but, to date, no investigator has been assigned to the case.
In July 2015, Sandra Zambrano made an application to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights in which she requested a broadening of protection measures granted to the organisation in 2013. Sandra Zambrano has declared the Honduran state responsible for any injury or attack which may befall her, her colleagues or her family.
On 29 September 2014, a group of unidentified persons broke into the offices of the Asociación para una Vida Mejor (Association for a better life – APUVIMEH), located in the capital city, Tegucigalpa. APUVIMEH works with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community and those affected by HIV / AIDS in Honduras. It also operates a shelter for people with HIV / AIDS and those of the LGBTI community, "Casa Renacer", and runs several projects including a program for prevention of HIV / AIDS and sexual infections, and a gay youth project.
On the night of the 29 September 2014 three unknown individuals were caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras breaking into the APUVIMEH offices via the second floor balcony. One intruder entered the building, whilst the other two waited on the balcony to be handed laptops containing confidential documents on the work of the organisation, as well as the database of collaborators and benefactors. The coordinator of the association, Ms Sandra Zambrano, made a formal complaint to the investigative authorities the following day, but when they arrived at the office, they did not come equipped with the powder required to take fingerprints. They informed her that it would be 3 working days before they could assign an investigator to the case and did not take CCTV footage of the incident. Sandra Zambrano has been unable to contact the person in the Secretariat of Public Security who is responsible for following up on the security measures ordered for APUVIMEH by the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights.
This break-in has occurred in a context of an increased number of attacks against organisations that work in the area of LGBTI rights. In September 2013, Front Line Defenders reported on two break-ins within the space of a week at the the offices of LGBT organisation Arcoiris during which computers were stolen and security equipment was badly damaged.
In December 2013, a Christmas party at the APUVIMEH offices was interrupted by an unknown armed man who threatened to kill members of the organisation if they did not pay 13,000 Honduran Lempiras (470 Euro).
Front Line Defenders considers this latest attack to be yet another act of intimidation specifically targeting APUVIMEH for its legitimate and peaceful activities in defence of the rights of LGBTI persons in Honduras. As previously mentioned it occurs in the context of continued attacks on individuals and organisations working on LGBTI rights. Front Line Defenders calls on the authorities to investigate this most recent attack and guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all those working within the organisation.
On 15 December 2013, at 2.30pm, the offices of the Asociación para una Vida Mejor – APUVIMEH (Association for a Better Life) were assaulted by unknown armed men. They threatened to kill all members of APUVIMEH if they were not paid 13,000 Honduran Lempira (470 Euro). In light of repeated death threats, APUVIMEH has stopped its human rights advocacy and will close down its facilities.
APUVIMEH works with the LGBTI community and those affected by HIV/AIDS in Honduras. It operates a shelter, "Casa Renacer", and runs several projects including a programme for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, as well as a gay youth project.
On 15 December 2013, APUVIMEH was holding its Christmas party in its offices. At 2.30pm, a young man, reportedly carrying a firearm under his brown jacket, attacked the offices and threatened that he would kill everybody in the event if he was not paid 13,000 Lempira. Human rights defender, Ms Sandra Zambrano, asked him to return later on, because there were minors present at the time. A few minutes later, after evacuating the children with their families, the same young man came back with another man. They forced Sandra Zambrano to listen to a cellular phone, and a third man’s voice threatened her to pay the requested amount the following day or else all members of APUVIMEH would be killed. The assailants left the offices, and since then, the threats have not materialised. It is known that threats come from police officers that are assigned to Eden post and corp 7 in Tegucigalpa.
The attack on the APUVIMEH offices came one day after Sandra Zambrano returned from a human rights forum in Bogotá. This is the latest in a series of threats facing human rights defenders in Honduras. On 13 November 2013 at 5.30pm, following a memorial service for human rights defender, Mr Walter Trochez, who had been killed in 2009, Messrs Frank Ortiz and Oscar Ortiz were followed by unknown men and stripped of their mobile phones. They were told that it was in retaliation against their protest actions.
On 17 October 2013, Mr Iván Gerardo Artola, a founding member of APUVIMEH, was followed by men dressed in black nearby the organisation's offices, and was forced to hide in a relative's house. The day before, the house of the APUVIMEH President, Mr José Zambrano, was raided by men dressed in military uniforms. They told José Zambrano that they were looking for someone and that, if he moved, they would shoot him.
Front Line Defenders has already expressed its profound concern at the physical attack, on 9 August 2013, of human rights defender, Ms Arely Victoria Gómez, perpetrated by four unknown men who hit and robbed her. Human rights defenders in Honduras carry out their activities in a context of extremely high levels of violence and killings. Those who work on LGBTI rights and gender identity face particularly high risk due to social marginalisation and hostility from influential public figures.
On 20 June 2013, at approximately 1pm, the 16-year-old daughter of human rights defender Ms Sandra Zambrano was forced into a car by two unknown men and held for approximately three hours. The incident took place near the Juan Ramón Molina National Library in the centre of Tegucigalpa.
During the incident on 20 June 2013, the unknown men told Sandra Zambrano's daughter several times that they were going to kill her. In Tegucigalpa it is relatively common that people are kidnapped and held to ransom for money, but in this case the only things which were taken were the girl's mobile phone and her school bag.
The human rights defender believes that because no money was demanded for her release, this act was intended to intimidate her. Owing to her daughter's emotional state when the ordeal was over, she was brought to a medical centre in order to get a clinical psychological evaluation.
APUVIMEH has recently been active in denouncing public declarations that discriminated and promoted hatred against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community in Honduras, made by pastor Evelio Reyes, journalist Eduardo Maldonado and presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla. APUVIMEH also recently denounced the non-fatal shooting of prominent LGBTI rights defender Yonathan (Yona) Cruz. Since 2003, APUVIMEH has recorded at least 117 hate crimes against LGBTI people in Honduras.