Centre for Applied Human Rights
Dina Meza
Honduras, CAHR, Spring 2013
My name is Dina Meza, I am a human rights defender and journalist. I come from Honduras in Central America.
My human rights work is to support victims of state violence. My particular focus is on the enforced disappearances of the early 1980s that happened as a result of a military coup; sexual violence against women fighting for their rights; victims of state violence by armed groups, paramilitary and private armed groups; violence against freedom of expression; illegally detained people who are persecuted for defending the environment; as well as youth and women who are persecuted for fighting for democracy. I also support specific groups of people such as teachers and trade unionists whose economic, social, and cultural rights have been violated.
The risks that I have to face for my work in defence of human rights are: persecution, surveillance, death threats, and monitoring threats against my sons and daughter, lawsuits for exercising freedom of expression and information, threats of sexual violence, and even my phone has been intercepted.
My particular focus is on the enforced disappearances of the early 1980s that happened as a result of a military coup.
On top of these, I face a number of obstacles that hinder my work. Among other things, I lacked state protection while the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted precautionary measures for me. Moreover, the Honduran government has denied me the right to carry out my work for human rights in tranquillity, despite the fact that this is granted by the United Nations’ declarations and treaties.
During my time in York, I'm interested in doing actions in favour of freedom of expression in Honduras as there are many violations against this. Not only journalists’ right to freedom of expression is being violated, but also others who advocate for a return to the institutions and democracy that existed in my country before it was broken up in the coup of June 2009 face these violations. I am hoping to establish an Internet newspaper to denounce all of this.