Honduras: Massive rise in homophobic killings since Zelaya toppled

Honduras: Massive rise in homophobic killings since Zelaya toppled

Apr Thursday 7th 2016

A REPORT exposed yesterday how LGBT campaigners in Honduras have risked torture, prison and assassination since the US-backed 2009 coup.

The British-based Index on Censorship used data gathered from local NGOs.

It said 215? LGBT people were murdered between 2009, when left-wing president Manuel Zelaya was ousted by a military coup, and 2015, with 37 deaths in 2015 alone. By contrast, just 20 gay or transgender people were murdered between 1994 and 2009.

Honduran gay rights activist Donny Reyes said: “I’ve suffered torture and sexual violence because of my activism, and I’ve survived many assassination attempts.”

On Tuesday, President Juan Orlando Hernandez said several top police officials had been suspended over the killings of three drugs prosecutors.

Audio recordings indicate that assassins were paid about $20,000 (£14,000) to kill Julian Aristides Gonzalez in 2009.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-8d8c-Honduras-Massive-rise-in-homophobic-killings-since-Zelaya-toppled#.Vwl6Z-T2abw

(Short article, no more at link.)