News
Honduras: Nominating Board must guarantee independence and transparency in election of Attorney General
Download joint statement here.
The National Congress of Honduras should follow constitutional requirements intended to guarantee transparency and integrity in the appointment of the attorney general and deputy attorney general, WOLA, LAWG, DPLF, RFKHR, CEJIL, and HRW said today.
The Honduran constitution requires that the attorney g... More
In memory of the life and legacy of Judge Thomas Buergenthal
DPLF joins many others in expressing our condolences to family and friends at the passing of Thomas Buergenthal, founder of our organization and dear friend, who dedicated his life to the defense of human rights, dignity, and the search for truth.
Considered one of the world's leading experts on international human rights law, Ju... More
Peru: International organizations support the IACHR recommendation to create an Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts to support investigations of serious human rights violations
Washington, DC, May 15, 2023- On May 3, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) released the report, Situation of Human Rights in Peru in the Context of Social Protests, which concludes that serious human rights violations were committed in Peru in the context of the social protests that occurred between December 7, 2022 and J... More
Guatemala: International legal experts call for urgent action to protect Indigenous peoples; express grave concern at impact of violent forced evictions
Group observed apparent ‘systemic failures’ in the protection of Indigenous rights;
Indigenous land defenders in the firing line after opposing extractive projects and unsustainable agricultural developments;
The human rights experts urge the need to guarantee access to justice;
Widespread crim... More
Venezuela: International organizations express concern over bill that seeks to criminalize and hinder the work of civil society organizations
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The undersigned organizations express our deep concern over the approval in the first round of a bill that seeks to criminalize and further hinder the work of civil society organizations in Venezuela: Law of Supervision, Regularization, Performance and Financing of Non-Governmental and Related Organizations (Ley... More
The Biden Administration Must Denounce Violent Repression in Peru
Download Joint Statement in PDF here.
In just one month since the Dina Boluarte government came to power, at least 48 civilians have been killed in the context of social protests, 41 of them as the result of wounds caused by gunfire. Human rights groups have sharply criticized Peruvian security forces, which appear to be responsible for mos... More
Human rights crisis in Nicaragua: the UN Human Rights Council must strengthen and renew for two years its resolution on Nicaragua
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Human rights crisis in Nicaragua: the UN Human Rights Council must strengthen and renew for two years its resolution on Nicaragua
I deliver this statement on behalf of 34 Nicaraguan and international organisations, of which 12 are part of the Colectivo 46/2, a coalition that monitors Nicaragua’s c... More
Guatemala: Organizations Applaud Recent U.S. Treasury Sanction Targeting Russian Corruption in the Mining Sector
The undersigned organizations applaud the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s recent action to sanction Russian and Belarus actors engaged in corruption schemes involving the Compania Guatemalteca de Niquel (CGN), Compania Procesadora de Niquel (ProNiCo), and Mayaniquel (subsidiaries of the So... More
Guatemala: Civil Society Organizations Welcome Introduction of House Resolution to Restore the Rule of Law
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U.S. civil society organizations welcome the House Resolution on Guatemala introduced on November 16, 2022 by Representatives Norma Torres, Albio Sires, Chuy Garcia, Jim McGovern, and Joaquin Castro. We are profoundly concerned with the takeover of Guatemala’s judicial system by corrupt actors, which... More
DPLF to participate as witness in virtual hearing before Ted Lantos Human Rights Commission on state of emergency in El Salvador
On March 27, following a spate of homicides that left 87 people dead in one weekend, President Nayib Bukele’s government declared a national state of emergency in El Salvador, which has since been extended five times. During a state of emergency, certain constitutional guarantees such as the rights to due process, legal defense, and freedom o... More