The following information was provided on 24 February 1997 to the DIRB by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Honduras (Comité para la defensa de los derechos humanos en Honduras, CODEH).

According to the CODEH, an investigation conducted in October 1996 in the department of Lempira established that an indigenous group named "Lempira" had apparently been formed recently. The source stated that Lempira was a social justice and human rights organization. However, the group was described in newspaper articles as being aggressive and openly opposed to the Honduran government. The source added that Lempira reportedly had links with former guerillas of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN).

No information about the treatment of Lempira members by the authorities could be found among the sources consulted.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Reference

Comité para la defensa de los derechos humanos en Honduras (CODEH), Tegucigalpa. 24 February 1997. Fax sent to the DIRB.

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International. Amnesty International Reports. 1994-1996.

_____. March 1996. Honduras: Continued Struggle Against Impunity. (AI Index: AMR 37/01/96).

_____. June 1995. Honduras: The Beginning of the End of Impunity. (AI Index: AMR 37/01/95).

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. 1993-1996.

DIRB Amnesty International File: Honduras.

DIRB Country File: Honduras.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service Reports (FBIS). Daily reports.

Honduras: A Country Guide. 1990.

Human Rights Watch World Reports. 1994-1997.

Latinamerica Press. 1993-1994.

Latin America Weekly Report. 1993-1994.

On-line searches for news articles in the NEXIS database.

Two oral sources contacted could not provide information on the requested topic.