00:01The Supreme Court of Justice of Honduras, following the recommendations of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,
00:07issued a memorandum ordering that citizens' rights to be recognized by the gender in which they perceive themselves be respected.
00:14However, in a violation of the independence of power, the National Congress, together with the churches, forced the judiciary to
00:22retract.
00:22This isn't just one case. It is not only Vicky Hernandez against the state of Honduras, but also Lolena Zelaya
00:29against the state of Honduras and the marriage report in Gabri's case.
00:32The Inter-American system, through the court and the commission, is telling the state of Honduras that it must respect
00:37self-perceived gender identity.
00:39The court, with this memorandum, was correct, but we have to concede several elements here.
00:43It's not just the interference of one branch of government against another, the discrimination, but also religious fundamentalism.
00:50The President of the National Congress, Tomás Zambrano, is known for his ultra-conservative positions.
00:56The actions against the court not only demonstrate the weakness and lack of independence of the justice system,
01:02but also the power that churches have in the current government,
01:05which does not allow even the slightest progress in respecting the rights of the sexual diversity community.
01:11The Supreme Court of Justice has issued an internal communication memorandum instructing judges to now gather more information on the
01:20cases they handled on criminal matters.
01:23That's to say, so that sentences are more in line with legislation that addresses gender issues and identifying specific forms
01:33of violence.
01:33This type of actions by the Honduran state have already caused it to lose international cases due to its attitude
01:40of violence and gender discrimination.
01:43The Catracha's network has been key in helping civil society win these cases,
01:47and affirms that despite the current adverse situation, they will continue their fight for justice.
01:54This government, which represents the state, must apologize to us for the Leolena Zelaya case, and it hasn't done so,
02:01which is a responsibility.
02:02Our organization has six more cases in the inter-American system, meaning we will be there as many times as
02:08necessary.
02:09The problem lies with the government representative, who believe they are independent or autonomous,
02:14disrespecting everything that has been done within the inter-American system.
02:18The Honduran state has received two convictions from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for hate crimes and the
02:25discrimination against citizens for gender and sexual identity.
02:30Not obeying the orders that come from these convictions only puts the Honduran state in a most precarious situation in
02:37the respect of international law and human rights.
02:39For Telesur in English, from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Gerardo Torres Zelaya.
