Dona Lourdes, wife of murdered ASJ lawyer Dionisio Diaz Garcia and her son Mauricio

Front Line welcomes the news that the killers of human rights lawyer Mr Dionisio Díaz García, named Mr Ramón Eusebio Solís and Mr César Amador, were found guilty by Judge Mario Rolando Díaz on 29 February 2009. Dionisio Díaz García was a member of the Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa – ASJ (Association for a more Just Society), a non-governmental organisation which works to promote economic, social and cultural rights in Tegucigalpa.

Further Information

On 4 October 2006, Front Line issued an urgent appeal regarding the safety of various members of ASJ, following reports of surveillance and threats carried out against them by the proprietor of the Delta Private Security Firm and its sister security company Seguridad Técnica de Honduras (SETECH). On 5 December 2006, the day after the murder of Dionisio Díaz García, Front Line issued another urgent appeal.

On 27 February 2009, at approximately 4 p.m., Judge Mario Rolando Díaz declared a guilty verdict against Ramón Eusebio Solís, for shooting Dionisio Díaz García to death, and against César Amador, for driving the get-away motorcycle. Both men now face 20 to 30 years' imprisonment for their part in the killing of Dionisio Díaz García on 4 December 2006 in Tegucigalpa. Front Line remains concerned that, although the perpetrators of the killing have been brought to justice, those responsible for ordering the killing have not yet been found and tried before a court of law.

While welcoming the sentencing of Ramón Eusebio Solís and César Amador, Front Line stresses the importance of an ongoing criminal investigation into who ordered the killing of Dionisio Díaz García and the need to address the issue of impunity in relation to attacks against human rights defenders in Honduras.