Case History: Reina Lilian Rodriguez
Reina Lilian Rodriguez and her team have been targets of acts of intimidation and harassment. The threats are linked to an investigation they are carrying out into the killing of Mr Héctor Orlando Martínez Motiño, President of Section 6 of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras - SITRAUNAH (Worker's Sindicate of the National Autonomous University of Honduras) on 17 June 2015.
Reina Lilian Rodriguez is a lawyer and Southern Regional Delegate of the Commissión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos - CONADEH (National Human Rights Commission).
Front Line Defenders has received worrying reports of acts of intimidation and
harassment against Ms Reina Lilian Rodriguez and her team.
The threats are linked to an investigation they are carrying out into the killing of Mr Héctor Orlando Martínez Motiño, President of Section 6 of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras - SITRAUNAH (Worker's Sindicate of the National Autonomous University of Honduras) on 17 June 2015.
On 30 June 2015, an unknown person driving a beige car was seen taking pictures of the cars, the building and the persons who were standing outside the offices of the National Human Rights Commission. This incident took place as the Commission's delegation was documenting complaints from teachers, members of the labour union SITRAUNAH (section 6) and students who had organised themselves to denounce the acts of harassment and intimidation within the Regional University Centre. Soon after collecting the testimonies, the same delegation observed that their official car had been vandalised. Later thatevening, Reina Lilian Rodríguez observed that a taxidriverstopped in front of her home residence, began taking pictures of her house and remained there for half an hour. The lawyer immediately reported the incident to the national police, providing them with the registration number of the taxi and the vehicle's plate.
On 17 June 2015, Héctor Orlando Martínez Motiño was shot twelve times and killed by unidentified persons as he was driving home. Martínez Motiño was at the time defending the case of a student who had been a victim of sexual harassment by a teacher, as well as a number of cases of violation of labour rights within the Regional University Centre (CURLP). Reportedly, Martínez Motiño's van the same one in which he was travelling on the day of his assassination had been sabotaged a number of months previously, putting his life at risk as well as those of the other five students present as they lost the control of the vehicle.
