Prisoners Of Conscience In Honduras Released
All the eight Guapinol defenders were unconditionally released in February 2022. On 24 February 2022, the sentencing court of Trujillo ordered the release of the six Guapinol defenders (José Daniel Márquez, Kelvin Alejandro Romero, José Abelino Cedillo, Porfirio Sorto Cedillo, Ewer Alexander Cedillo and Orbin Nahún Hernández) that remained in prison following a favourable resolution of the Supreme Court of Justice on 10 February 2022. Arnol Javier Alemán and Jeremías Martínez Díaz had been acquitted and released immediately on 9 February 2022.
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.
On 24 February 2022, the sentencing court of Trujillo ordered the release of the six Guapinol defenders (José Daniel Márquez, Kelvin Alejandro Romero, José Abelino Cedillo, Porfirio Sorto Cedillo, Ewer Alexander Cedillo and Orbin Nahún Hernández). They were found guilty of the crimes of illegal deprivation of liberty and aggravated damages against the contractor of the company Inversiones Los Pinares (ILP), and simple and aggravated damages against ILP on 9 February 2022. The six prisoners of conscience spent two years and a half wrongfully detained.
Only two of the eight members of the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Assets (CMDBCP) were acquitted and immediately released on 9 February 2022. One day after, on 10 February 2022, the Honduras Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) issued two resolutions in favor of the eight defenders, in relation to two amparos writs filed in 2020 and in 2021 for violations of due process of law and their pre-trial detention. Following this resolution, on 24 February 2022, the sentencing court of Trujillo ordered the release of the six Guapinol defenders, who were freed later on the same day.
We believe that the public campaign on behalf of the eight Guapinol defenders, including appeals sent by Amnesty International members, have contributed to this positive outcome. After their release, the people who accompanied them deeply thanked Amnesty International for all the support.