A/HRC/13/66 I. Introduction 1. On 1 October 2009, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 12/14 entitled “Situation of human rights in Honduras since the coup d’état on 28 June 2009”, in which the Council, inter alia, requested “the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to present a comprehensive report on the violations of human rights in Honduras since the coup d’état, and to submit a preliminary report to the General Assembly at the main part of its sixty-fourth session and to the Council at its thirteenth session”.1 2. Based on this request, the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) deployed a three-person mission to Honduras, from 18 October to 7 November 2009, to compile the necessary information and prepare the report. To the extent possible, information concerning relevant incidents which occurred after this period was added to the present report. II. Methodology 3. The mission sought the views of all authorities and other stakeholders in a manner consistent with General Assembly resolution 63/301.2 It met with representatives of the Fiscalía (Office of the Attorney General), including its units for human rights, children and forensic medicine; the Supreme Court of Justice; the Human Rights Commissioner (CONADEH), chiefs of police and the armed forces, and a representative from the National Criminal Investigations Bureau (DNIC). The mission also met with civil society, women’s organizations, lawyers, media, human rights defenders, and victims and witnesses of human rights violations, as well as with representatives from the international community, including the United Nations system. 4. The mission visited Tegucigalpa as well as two localities in the north, San Pedro Sula (department of Cortés) and El Progreso (department of Yoro), where most of the human rights violations have been reported since the coup. 5. The mission examined the human rights situation between the date of the coup d’état (28 June) and the date the mission left the country (7 November 2009). In this context, several types of human rights violations were documented, particularly against people who took part in various peaceful actions to protest against the coup. Numerous people, including women and children, denounced violations of their rights to liberty and security of person, integrity, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Some cases of violations of the right to life were also reported. 6. The mission received documents from various interlocutors, including official data, videos and reports, and allegations of human rights violations. A systematic approach was adopted to contrast information received from victims and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with relevant available documents, including medical information and official data. In many cases, the authorities confirmed the information or did not present contradictory information. In most cases, NGOs were the only actor documenting cases, providing unique 1 2 4 At the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, the High Commissioner provided an oral statement on the mission of her Office to Honduras. General Assembly resolution 63/301, operative para. 3: “The General Assembly, decides to call firmly and unequivocally upon States to recognize no Government other than that of the Constitutional President, Mr. José Manuel Zelaya Rosales.” GE.10-11700