Crying Out for Justice for Dionisio Díaz García
Dionisio Díaz García, Honduran, Christian, known as the "lawyer of the poor" for his work defending the labor rights of impoverished workers, was assassinated on December 4, 2006. Justice has yet to be done. But your voice can make a difference.

Press Release

31 Jan. 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Association for a More Just Society (AJS)
70 Divisadero, San Francisco, CA 94117
1-800-897-1135
info@ajs-us.org
www.ajs-us.org

Alleged Hit-Men Arrested in Case of Dionisio Díaz García, Honduran “Lawyer of the Poor”

AJS Thanks Supporters around the World, Urges Continued Advocacy for Proper Trial of those Arrested and for Identification, Arrest, and Trial of Assassination's Intellectual Authors

Tegucigalpa , Honduras -Honduran media confirmed that earlier today two men were arrested in Honduras , one in the coastal city of La Ceiba and one in the capital, Tegucigalpa , as suspects in the murder of Honduran, Christian human rights lawyer Dionisio Díaz García.

Mr. Díaz worked for a labor rights project in Honduras that is supported by U.S. Christian nonprofit the Association for a More Just Society (AJS). He was making significant advances in labor rights cases on behalf of a dozen security guards seeking compensation for labor rights violations such as 72 – 96 hour work-weeks without overtime pay, when on December 4, 2006, he was shot to death while on his way to court by two men on a motorcycle.

Worldwide advocacy has played a key role

For several months preceding his murder he and other members of AJS's Honduran sister organization, Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ), had been receiving threats related to labor cases on behalf of security guards. Similar threats continued throughout much of 2007. During that same time, official investigations of the assassination made little headway and were plagued by incompetence, negligence, and possibly corruption.

But a renewed surge of worldwide pressure this past December, fueled by supporters of AJS, Amnesty International, and other organizations who sent thousands of letters and emails to Honduran authorities, as well as the intervention of foreign legislators and diplomats, played a large part in motivating top-level Honduran authorities to put renewed emphasis on the case.

The two men arrested yesterday are accused of being the driver of the motorcycle and the passenger / shooter responsible for the assassination.

AJS urges Honduran authorities to identify and arrest crime's intellectual authors

AJS commends the Honduran government for making progress in this case and for apparently having corrected some of the irregularities in the management of the investigation. At the same time, AJS urges the Honduran authorities to continue proceeding energetically and according to the law in a process that is just beginning—the men arrested yesterday have yet to be tried, and, in the case of a guilty verdict, sentenced; the intellectual authors of the crime (those who planned it and who are assumed to have paid the hit-men for their work) have yet to be identified and arrested.

AJS urges supporters to keep speaking out

There is still a long way to go in order to achieve justice for Dionisio. The men arrested today need to be brought to trial. The people who paid them to kill Dionisio need to be identified, arrested, and brought to trial. There is still a real possibility that corruption could sneak in and spoil it all.

To make sure the big step towards justice taken yesterday is followed by many more, AJS asks all those who care about this case to do the following:

• Pray: Thank God that progress is being made and ask for God's blessing on those working for more progress towards justice for Dionisio.

•  Speak Out: Write Honduran authorities to congratulate them for this achievement, and to let them know much more still needs to be done.

•  Tell Others: Tell others about Dionisio and get them to start speaking out. A great place to start is by having them watch the Dionisio Video at:

http://www.ajs-us.org/dionisio/dionisio_video.htm

or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro7ugBbxNgg

•  Donate: Donate to AJS or to other organizations advocating for justice for Dionisio.

Get help doing all of this and learn more at:

www.ajs-us.org/dionisio

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For more information, contact:

info@ajs-us.org

1-800-897-1135

www.ajs-us.org/dionisio

The Association for a More Just Society (AJS) is a U.S., Christian 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting justice in Honduras and elsewhere as well as to educating North Americans about justice issues. AJS's activities include overseeing and funding initiatives carried out by Honduran partner organization la Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ).

Previous Press Releases:

November 2007

December 2006

Back to Dionisio Main Page

The Association for a More Just Society (AJS) oversees and funds initiatives carried out by Honduran partner organization la Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ). AJS is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so all donations to AJS are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.