UN human rights experts urge greater oversight of private security firms in Honduras
UN human rights experts urge greater oversight of private security firms in Honduras
25 February 2013 – A group of United Nations independent experts back from Honduras today urged that Government to tighten oversight of the increasing number of private security companies, as well as to strengthen the judicial system to properly investigate and prosecute potential human rights violations stemming from land-rights disputes.
“With over 700 private security companies operating in Honduras, the Government should ensure that their activities are properly monitored and that they do not become a substitute for competent and accountable police,” a member of the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries, Patricia Arias, said in a new release.
There are 706 registered private security companies in Honduras, and numerous unregistered ones comprised of high-ranking police or military officers, which operate in a legal vacuum, the experts said.
During its five-day visit, the working group received information that many private security guards carry firearms that are prohibited and are allegedly used to commit human rights violations, which include “killings, disappearances, forced evictions and sexual violence.”
More:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44215&Cr=Honduras&Cr1=
