CEJIL calls on the Honduran authorities to elect an independent National Human Rights Commissioner

Tegucigalpa and San Jose, Tuesday, February 11, 2014. The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) calls on the National Congress of Honduras to elect a competent, honorable, and independent National Human Rights Commissioner (Comisionado o Comisionada Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, CONADEH).

The current Commissioner’s term will end March 14, thus a replacement must be selected in the following days. For this purpose, public hearings will be held this week before the Honduran Congress’s Special Multi-Party Commission (Comisión Especial Multipartidaria del Congreso de Honduras).

“In order to guarantee the election of a person with the best capabilities, there should be a rigorous evaluation of the candidates’ competency, repute, and integrity. Such characteristics are an endorsement for justice for those who consider themselves victims of the abuse of power and also for the denounced organizations or individuals, providing an objective evaluation that respects the rules and procedures,” stated Marcia Aguiluz, CEJIL’s Program Director for Central America and Mexico.

This process is of particular importance for Honduras due to the discretization of CONADEH’s work nationally and internationally in recent years. In fact, the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights lowered the international ranking of Honduran ombudsmen. The Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights violations in Honduras since the coup d’état on June 28, 2009, stated that the Commission’s current measures have been insufficient, negligent, or directly incompatible with its mandate.

In this sense, the Honduran Congress has an opportunity to restore the credibility of the CONADEH and help it fulfill its mandate as the top body responsible for upholding respect for and guarantee of human rights in Honduras.

CEJIL joins Honduran civil society organizations in urging the authorities to guarantee a transparent and public process, permitting wide participation for all the sectors of society. These conditions, in addition to a rigorous evaluation of the most qualified candidates free of political influence, are paramount to ensure the selection of a person demonstrating the competence and integrity necessary to successfully guide the national institution for the protection of human rights.

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