Police brutality in Honduras leaves country in crisis

Amnesty is concerned at the excessive force applied by police officers against civilians in Honduras over the past few days. The firing of tear gas at a human rights organisation when around 100 men, women and children were inside is far from acceptable.

That attack is just one of a series of incidents which is jeopardising the rule of law in Honduras and breaching the fundamental rights of the country’s population.  A recent Amnesty report examined the repression across the country since the coup d’état.  In particular, it highlighted that police beatings and mass arrests were being used as a way of punishing people for voicing their opposition to the military-backed coup in June.

View some photographs of the dreadful beatings here.

The report also focused on the clampdown on freedom of expression including the closure of media outlets, the confiscation of equipment and physical abuse of media professionals covering events.

What is needed is an immediate stop to the policy of repression and violence by the Honduran authorities and for them to respect the rule of law and basic human rights. The international community also should not stand idly by and allow Honduras to sink even deeper into a human rights crisis.